


By Your Side

by kayura_sanada



Series: Fanfiction.Net Archive [4]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Animal Transformation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pining, Post-Canon, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-12 01:42:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 100,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12948579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kayura_sanada/pseuds/kayura_sanada
Summary: Danger was just a part of the ex-Gundam pilot routine, and threats were shrugged off entirely. But waking up with four legs and a tail? Duo had to admit that the routine might've just changed.Originally posted to ffnet from 10/29/10 to 02/13/11. Minor editing done as posted.





	1. Chapter 1

"Yeah, but, see, we're awesome." Duo shrugged out of his uniform and made his way to the showers, not even waiting to take off his underwear. He called back to Heero, and this time his voice echoed through the empty rooms. Headquarters had a weird vibe at night, when no one else was around. "So of course we managed to take 'em down without a fight."

Heero didn't say anything at first. The guy was probably hanging his suit up just so, flicking out imaginary wrinkles. Ridiculous, since the smell of smoke and gunpowder made the damn thing need washing. Again. Couldn't the bad guys just give up peacefully so that they wouldn't have to use up so much damn detergent? It went against his street rat ways to have to flush away so much money on laundry.

Soft footsteps padded after Duo as he stripped off his undies and flung his towel onto the hook on the far wall from the shower heads. His shampoo went by the soap dispenser. He heard Heero come up behind him, but very carefully did not turn to the sound. Instead he bent slightly and wrenched the water knob around, then crouched low and on the wall until the damn heater began to kick in enough for the water to no longer resemble ice.

Heero humphed out a laugh at his actions, but didn't say anything. "You understand that being 'awesome' has nothing to do with the bust." And Heero turned on the water in his own stall.

It was Duo's turn to snort. "Right. Next you're going to say it was luck."

"I don't believe in luck."

That was the point of the joke. Duo rolled his eyes and stepped under the now-hot spray, lifting his face to the water to try to get the worst of the stink off his nose. Ah. It was like he could __feel__ the clean just rushing over him. Showers were such wonderful luxuries. "You apparently don't believe in awesomeness, either."

Another snort, and Duo couldn't stop himself from flicking a glance Heero's way. The man was already scrubbing his own shampoo into his hair, and the unruly mass was for once all in agreement, plastering against his forehead and cheeks and curling into a ball in the suds. A couple of those suds were flowing down Heero's ear to his neck. Duo's eyes wanted to dip lower, to trace the inevitable trail, but he was naked next to his partner and if a problem cropped up, there wasn't much of a way to hide it, and even less of a way to explain it.

He looked away and cleared his throat. "In any case, Une can at least sleep easy tonight, knowing we've taken down the damn mini-mafia, even with her taking Wu-man and Tro at the last minute. And Jackson should be okay in a few days."

That usual 'hn' response followed his statement, and it was enough for him to grab his own shampoo and dollop a small puddle on his hand. He transferred it to the roots of his hair and dug in. The smell of smoke was probably stuck in his hair forever, just like the smell of the dead. The smell of dead bodies gets trapped in hair. When he'd been younger, it had been the sentimentality of the memories that had made him adamant about keeping his hair. Now, knowing their smell was still hidden in the long threads of dead skin made him morbidly glad. More than their memories lived on, and that was more than most could say.

"You were reckless, going in after him," Heero said, referring to Duo's comment about Jackson.

Duo smiled. It was probably the closest Heero would ever get to admitting he'd been worried about Duo's safety. Duo did have to admit the foolishness of it, of charging into the thick of battle to grab their fallen comrade. But he just shrugged. "Well, I couldn't just leave the guy there."

There was a short beat of silence, and another quick look told him Heero was rinsing off the shampoo. It was falling down his back. Duo hurried then; when Heero was really tired, he took off before Duo. Probably collapsed on the couch, too, the idiot. Duo just finished rubbing in the shampoo when Heero spoke. "I know."

It was enough to make Duo smile again. It was a nice change from the old liability speech. Heero didn't speak like that anymore. Hadn't since the war ended, almost as if the war itself had been forcing him to say those sorts of things. "Yeah, well, thanks for the back-up."

"Of course." Heero was probably rubbing himself down as best he could with that regulation soap. It was definitely for the best if Duo didn't look over now.

So he started rinsing out his hair, wishing he could hurry this part but knowing he really couldn't. Suds in one's hair were a pain in the ass.

The rest of their showers were spent silently, with Duo's mind too occupied with orders to not look – don't look, don't do it, he would just be asking for it if he did – and he heard Heero turn off his water just as he was grabbing his own soap. "Duo, I'm heading out. Okay?"

He forced a bright smile as Heero glanced his way, the man's lower body thankfully already covered by his towel. Usually Heero didn't bother asking Duo if he would mind being left behind. Duo's silence must have been heavier than he'd thought. "Sure. You head out, I sing in the shower. Win-win."

Heero snorted, but he waited a second. Duo, knowing he was being scrutinized, cocked an eyebrow. "Yes, Mama-Yuy?"

It was enough to make Heero roll his eyes and leave. Duo waited until he heard Heero's locker open and close before he let his head fall back into the water. He could rush out, but that might cause questions. Questions he seriously didn't want to answer. Questions he __couldn't__ answer.

He cleared his throat again and picked a quick song from his mental inventory before belting it out, deliberately singing slightly off-key, knowing a part of Heero was probably waiting for it. For confirmation, proof that he really was feeling all right.

He scrubbed the soap over his bruising chest and heard the door close behind Heero's exit. Left alone, his voice seemed to echo even more strangely.

A break in the song came, and Duo dunked his head under the water's spray again, this time getting the soap off his neck. Wanting to leave with Heero was superfluous, anyway. The two of them bloody well worked together. They couldn't escape one another anymore, even if they wanted to.

* * *

Duo unlocked his door, dropped his mail on the side table by the entrance, dropped his keys on top of the pile, moved to his couch, and collapsed.

He wouldn't make fun of Heero's habits anymore. It felt remarkably good. Somehow.

One roll pushed him back to his feet, and with a groan he went to the small kitchen and grabbed a Gatorade from the fridge, twisting off the top and chugging down the drink. His eyes slid to the clock on the wall. It was only ten o'clock. Why was he so damn tired? The bust should have kept him wired, fighting the old war paranoia. Not being paranoid was getting him paranoid. He could feel an old itch between his shoulder blades and moved away from the window, just in case.

Well. At least his exhaustion would get him a good rest, or at least more time to try for that damn rest. He really hated it when he and Heero came back from a bust alone and smelly. As long as no one else was around, Heero had no problem stripping down and showering. As long as it was only other Gundam pilots that joined him. Like Duo. And if he was smelly, it was as if he suddenly just __had__ to be clean.

But that part, at least, was easy enough to understand. None of them wanted the memories of death on them. Who could blame Heero for wanting to rush to the nearest available water source?

Still. Holy shit, that man was hot. Duo almost wished he had those bad dreams. Then he wondered if Heero __would__ have those bad dreams and frowned.

It took only another minute for Duo to stop his mindless pacing and grab the vid-phone.

"Duo?" Heero's face entered the screen, his hair still wet, his brows furrowed. "Is something wrong?"

"No," he said, having already come up with an excuse to call. "I actually remembered something I wanted to ask you, and hell if I wanna wait last minute for this." Duo went to grab a chair from his kitchen table and dragged it over to the phone, twisting is around to sit in it wrong. He put his Gatorade beside the phone.

Heero waited on the other line. "Wu-man," he said to start, "said I wasn't allowed to bring everybody to any sort of bar." Heero nodded and left the screen for a bit, but he hummed to let Duo know he was still listening. "It was, like, his personal law," he continued, even as a weird silence flitted through the line, telling Duo that Heero was thinking something Duo wouldn't want to know about. "But there's this place called Smokey's that–"

"Smokey's?" Heero came back and leaned the vid back a bit to watch Duo's face as he stood.

"Yeah," Duo affirmed. "Hilde showed it to me. It apparently has stuff about some old bear or something that talked about wildfires. But it has a bar. I mean, like it's mostly a bar, but it has other tables along the windows and it's not like there're any hookers or anything, I mean, wouldn't that just be creepy, going to a place like that with Quatre?" Duo glugged down the Gatorade until it was empty, then capped it and tossed into into the trash bin. Why exactly was he so enraptured with Heero's light green t-shirt? Was he really that pathetically horny? "So do you think I'd be breaking the Chang Law, taking everybody there tomorrow?"

Heero was quiet for another heartbeat, and Duo wondered if the guy knew he had every intention of taking the guys to Smokey's, anyway, and had just made up the question in the past thirty seconds. "Duo, Wufei said not to call him that."

"Yeah, I know. It's why I still call him that." Duo shifted on the chair, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Stupid paranoia making his shoulders itch. And it was making his adrenaline pump, making his breath shorten and shallow. Stupid overreaction. Still, Duo cast a glance around him, watching the shadows. Of course they were perfectly still. "So? The bar? Is it too bad? 'Cause I haven't really been looking around for new places, but if we keep going to Olive Garden and Red Lobster, we're gonna get tired of the high-class cuisine. Besides, the steak at Smokey's was delicious."

"He probably didn't want the place to be too low-brow," Heero said, tilting his head as he answered. It made his bangs – already dry – fall right into those dark-blue eyes of his. "And one of these days, he's really going to start a fight over those nicknames of yours."

"Promises, promises." Duo flipped the chair around and leaned back into it. Uncomfortable still, he stood and gave Heero a peace sign before saying, "I'm crashing on my couch," and turning the vid off. Heero 'hn'ed and waited until Duo made it over to the living room, taking the portable telephone with him. He almost tripped over the stupid chair, so he dragged it back with him and grabbed the wall on the way to the couch. He glared out the window and moved away from it, then sat on the couch and rubbed his head. Shit. Not only was he tired enough to stumble, but he was actually getting dizzy. Had the drizzle at the end of the bust screwed him over? Was he coming down with something? A cold? But his immune system was insanely good. He'd survived on the streets of L2, after all. "So Wufei's got some problem with low-brow?" he started again.

"Duo."

Because they both knew full well that Duo understood the group better than anyone else, and that Duo was pulling the question out of his ass. "Yeah, yeah, I know. The guy's worried about safety and atmosphere. But it's good to have the verbal back-up."

Heero snorted then, a tight whuff against the speaker of the phone. Duo imagined seeing it, seeing the half-smirk type of smile Heero would be sending across their desks if they were in their office. He rubbed his forehead as the world spun. That tight, itching feeling grew. High immune system or not, he was definitely getting sick. Maybe he should take a cold pill or something before he crashed. Did he even __have__ any cold pills?

"I will lay cover fire for you again if you need it."

Duo smiled at the words and the long-suffering tone they were packaged in. "Thanks, 'Ro," he said, and he kept his voice easy with effort. He considered telling Heero he was getting sick, but he let it go. No point worrying a guy who wasn't used to worrying. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow, then, and we'll go to Smokey's afterward."

"Right. Bye."

"Bye!" He clicked the phone off then and stood. Just one step had him stumbling, careening over to the wall between the living room and the kitchen. It felt like his feet had suddenly fallen asleep, too.

He cursed.

Okay. He was not going to be defeated by some stupid cold. The pilots' dinner for which he'd fought so hard for two years was finally in operation, and it had been for almost six weeks now. If the creator bowed out, what would happen to the damn thing? Wufei might hide back inside his shell, and Quatre might start mumbling about meetings again.

Besides, leaving Heero with all the paperwork for the bust would just be cruel.

He wiped the back of his hands across his brow, surprised to find sweat there. Then he pushed off the wall and stumbled through to the kitchen. He made it halfway before his legs went numb. The alarm bells rang like gongs.

It wasn't a cold.

The thought hit him just before he hit the floor. The phone tumbled from his nerveless fingers and slid across the linoleum. Shit. Out of reach. He swung his gaze from right to left, but he couldn't see anything but the floor and the stove and, high, high above, the counter. And his eyelids were very damn heavy. This was no cold. But what was it? Poison? He couldn't believe he hadn't identified a poison. In the Gatorade? Maybe, but he'd been feeling oddly tired before he'd even taken a sip. Or had his sleepiness been normal?

In any case, he had to reach the phone. If he could just speed dial Heero, then everything could be taken care of. His partner would be pissed, absolutely furious. But he would help.

He reached up, his arm sliding slowly across the floor. Was it stupid for him to be upset that he would probably have to shower again after lying on the floor? Yeah. Probably.

Finally the phone was just there, within range. He tried to flex his fingers as spots dotted across his vision, but nothing moved. With a grunt, he tried again. Nothing. Nothing.

Shit. Shit. Just what the hell...?

His eyelids drooped despite his best efforts, and he found every muscle in his body shutting down before his eyes finally closed. Dammit, what the hell was all this?

His last thought was a rather vain hope. Maybe, he found himself thinking, if it was something really rare, really weird, maybe Heero would forgive him for being stupid.

* * *

He had a headache. He was starving, sleepy, groggy, dizzy. And he had a headache.

Where __these__ the damn, blasted side effects of the poison?

He opened his eyes to slits, already planning his escape. He didn't feel pinned down or tied up, which meant he was most likely in a secure area. If he could manage to get out – if his lockpicks hadn't been found from within the folds of his braid – then he should be home in about an hour.

But he stopped short when he looked around and saw the linoleum floor, the stove, the granite countertops. His house. His house?

He tried to stand and stumbled as his hands slipped on the floor. He heard a scrabbled sort of clacking. Through his line of sight came a long brown paw.

A paw. Where his hand should be.

He yelped – Jesus, that was a dog's yelp – and scrambled again, nails clacking and slipping on the floor. All of his efforts were in vain; he fell again, then again. He took a deep breath and shuddered. He hadn't known the smell of yesterday's cereal was still in the air. Hadn't known the smell of grass could sift through closed doors and windows. His eyesight was a bit worse than he was used to, and not nearly as colorful. But he could remember the colors, and he could see the blue of the dishtowel hanging from the sink. He lifted his head and looked around, disturbed by the sight of his snout.

Was he dreaming?

Because if he was, this dream sucked. It was way too realistic, and he didn't like the idea of being this blind. Even if he could see the tiny movements of the dishtowel.

But holy shit, the smells! He could smell himself just everywhere – his shampoo, his soap, the Headquarters' soap – his sweat, for God's sake! And his friends! He could smell his friends – the spicy aroma Wufei always carried, strong still since Wufei had stopped in a few days ago. Trowa, with a million different smells that made something in him want to get up and investigate. And Qat! Who knew the dude __actually__ smelled like baby powder? Dream or no dream, Qat was gonna get teased about that one. And Hilde's perfume was definitely a lot stronger now, but it still smelled nice. Like flowers at night.

And __Heero__. Holy shit, the man's smell was everywhere. Soap, shampoo, wood, gunpowder, sweat. Duo wanted to laugh, to revel in the scent and just roll in it. What a great smell.

Then he realized what he'd just thought. __Roll__ in it? Roll? Really? Had he lost his damn mind?

He had to get up and get the hell out of this. Maybe somebody else could explain just what the hell was going on. Like Wufei! Wufei was smart. Wufei could figure out why he'd woken up a dog.

Because he __was__ a dog now... right?

He took a deep breath. Okay. All he had to do to stand up was move his limbs like a dog.

Okay, how the hell did a dog move?

Well, all of their legs were about the same length, right? He put his paws – oh, by Shinigami, he had paws – underneath of him and balanced himself on them. It was altogether weird, like he was balancing on his toes, but he wasn't even remotely concerned. He actually felt perfectly fine in that position.

And all that was left was to stand.

It was surprisingly easy to do so, now that he'd decided on the length of his limbs. He was still drastically shorter than usual, and the height difference just enhanced the sense of wrongness. His countertops were suddenly so high up, so out of reach. He would have to go up on his hind legs, test his balance. And just how the hell would be able to do that, with such an odd body?

Besides, the priority at the moment was to escape. He had no idea what was going on, but there was some sort of danger and he couldn't stay and wait for the danger to present itself. Not in the situation he was in.

Whatever the hell kind of situation that might be.

Hey, he mused with a smile, maybe he was delusional. Maybe he only __thought__ he was a dog. Of course, that wouldn't explain the weird vision – he hadn't known dogs had such horrible vision. Hardly any damn color!

He shook his head and listened. He could hear cars outside, and through the window there was a brightness that spoke of daylight. He'd been out of it for hours, then. Maybe enemies weren't coming. Maybe he was supposed to be dead.

Well, if that was the case, the joke was on the both of them, him and his wannabe murderers. So there was that.

He had to get out of the damn house.

It was interesting, trying to work the lock on the back door with paws and teeth as his only weapons, but he lightly gripped the lock with his side canines and tilted his head up. It took a number of frustrating tries, but finally he had the damn thing unlocked. The next battle – opening the door – was accomplished by using his paws for leverage and wrenching his head into a painful, awkward position that tilted his snout to the ceiling. He pulled and staggered back when he got that damn knob turned, dancing on his back paws. He chose to fall backward when his balance left him, sprawling back on the floor with his paws stupidly curling in the air. Great. Now his back hurt.

He flailed like a turtle for a few seconds, not quite knowing how to get his weirdly jointed legs underneath him, but finally he just rolled to his side and pulled those paws underneath himself again. That was great. If the bad guys got him on his back, apparently it would be game over. Great. Perfect.

He needed to get used to this damn body, and fast.

Wait. What the hell was wrong with him? He didn't need to get __used__ to this body, he needed to get the hell __out__ of it. Hence his decision to find Wufei.

Hopefully it wasn't so late that the man had gone in to Preventors. Duo doubted he'd be granted access in this state, either as a dog or as a loon.

The screen door was a thousand times easier to open, with only a pull-down knob in his way. He didn't bother to try to lock up after himself, knowing the futility of it, and managed to go down his own driveway and past the first corner before he realized that, if he was a dog, no one would recognize him. For the first time since he woke up, he tried to speak. All that came out was a short bark.

Okay. Either the delusion was damn elaborate or he couldn't talk. Explaining his identity was out.

Besides, if he was crazy, the last thing he wanted to do was dog-walk down the damn highway.

With that, he turned decidedly down the next right. Heero's place was close enough, and better, it backed up to some woods. Duo would only have to go down a few streets before reaching the park, where he could run to the woods in the back and follow them to Heero's house. Either as a dog or as a psycho, his partner would be able to help him.

Hopefully.

There were a million smells just __everywhere__. His neighbors' flowers, the grass, weeds, car exhaust, paint, dust. Hell, he could swear he was even smelling __sunlight__. It was a warm smell, of course, but if the color gold had a scent, this would probably be it. Damn. No wonder dogs were constantly sniffing shit.

A few cars passed him, and it was unnerving to be relying on smell and hearing and not being able to depend on sight. The car grabbed his attention, like his eyes were hard-wired to them or something, even though some were nothing more than shades of gray, their edges just barely fuzzy. Scary. For someone who had always depended on his eyesight in one way or another, having it suddenly change was absolutely terrifying. The smell of gasoline was powerful, the sound of the engine chugging and the cylinders pumping heavy; it was all enough to keep him oriented as he crossed the street and saw the small group of high schoolers waiting for their bus. Good. It wasn't too late. Hopefully Heero wouldn't be gone yet.

He was just one turn from the park when that car of Heero's – long, sleek, and quiet – passed right by him.

It took a moment for him to even comprehend that the car had in fact been Heero's, as the information filtered through his senses and grabbed hold of his memories – going to Heero's to help him change his oil and fix his brakes, crooning to the damn thing and exclaiming over its beauty – and all of those smells that wrapped into the category of 'Heero', and finally it all just clicked. Heero had driven right past him.

Well, he thought with relief, at least he most definitely wasn't insane or hallucinating. He had truly been turned into a dog.

He sat down then and just let that little thought run its course.

And just how, exactly, had he been turned into a dog?

Okay. No time to freak out. If this shit had happened to him, then it could happen to the others. Maybe that was why he hadn't been picked up? Or maybe not. Either way, it would be too dangerous to return to his house. He'd gotten used to walking, but anything else was beyond him at the moment. He'd figured out that dogs walk in a certain pattern – front one side, back other, front other, back one – but how the hell did they run? Both back, both front? And how to keep from tripping over one's own feet? Or, well, paws. One's own paws.

Oh, he was so screwed.

So. Where to next? He looked around, orienting himself. The park. Should he bother with the park? Should he still try to get to Heero's?

Honestly, he had no idea what he could do, or even what he __should__ do. Were the enemies after all five of them? They'd received various threats to their persons, most of which had been hot air and all of which had been unconcerning. Oh, no, people didn’t like Gundam pilots! Wow! Crazy! That had never happened before! Those who had followed through on their threats had been easily dispatched. No big deal.

But now that someone had the ability to turn people into dogs, things had gone straight from annoying to dangerous.

So how was he going to take care of the others, make sure this shit didn't happen to them, and stop the baddies? Especially as a dog. Rather difficult to leave out the point where he was a dog. And hey, what were the chances of finding a cure?

Okay. It still wasn't the right time to panic, but it didn't seem like he was going to get a lot of say in the matter.

He didn't quite know how long it took for the fear to subside enough for him to be able to get his stupid ass in gear, but the park was empty when he finally walked inside. He had new things to worry about – cars, shelter. Dog catchers, for crying out loud.

And he was hungry.

He ignored that one for now and tested his paws. He didn't feel anything really bad yet, so his walking had yet to bother his feet. It was almost summer, though, and the sidewalks and asphalt were going to get really hot. Grass would be the best ground, but he would have to stay low until he reached Qat's. Of all his friends, the one most likely to open their door to a stray was Quatre. Not to mention he was the only one left who wouldn't be on their way to work. He just had to hope Qat didn't have an early meeting.

Of course, he didn't quite look like a stray just yet. Should he try for the look? It would help him keep a distance from the average person, but it would also make those with cell phones more liable to dial up the police station or animal rescue shelter.

Shit. And he'd thought being a street rat had been tough.

Oh, yeah. It had been.

He hugged the treeline and looked around. The place really was deserted. Had he really missed the joggers as they exited? Thank goodness none had gone to him.

As long as he remained in the park during the daytime, he had the greatest chance of being safe. Of course, that would mean he was only protecting himself, not helping the others. Not finding any potential cure.

If there was one.

Quatre. Okay. He oriented himself and turned to the left of the park. Quatre's house was like a mini-mansion based on the outskirts of the city. Past the housing development and around the edge of the city would probably be the best route, but he was on a time schedule. What if he took too long and Qat turned into, oh, a Labrador or something? Or Wufei into a... a pincher or boxer or pit bull or something? Or Trowa? Heero?

Hey, that was a thought. What dog would Heero be?

Wait. What the hell dog was _he?_

In the end, he had no choice but to run through the city and evade the people who would come for him.

That was all fine and well, but it meant he needed to practice that whole 'running' thing while he was free of onlookers. New to the body or not, he wasn't going to let anyone see him tripping over himself – or worse, air. He may not have a lot of dignity left after all this, but hell if he was losing his pride, too.

* * *

Okay. Apparently the back legs spread a bit and the front legs tucked themselves in-between the back. That was a handy piece of information. One he'd needed to practice several times to learn. One he'd had many chances to test.

He'd been right to think it would get hot. He wouldn't be surprised if the pads of his gangly paws were sporting burn scars by the end of the day. And if one more helpful passerby pulled over to help him, he might just be inclined to bite them before running.

Really. He was tired, dammit, and had no water, and those idiots just kept forcing him to run – one time into oncoming traffic – in order to escape their oh-so-helpful clutches.

Go find a real stray, assholes. He had friends to find.

He crossed the second highway of the day and allowed himself a very short panting session. Shit. His fur was just making him hotter. He was next to a gas station, however, with a veritable smorgasbord of people waiting to grab him, and he hurried down the side of the road, ever vigilant.

This world was different, he'd come to realize, from the world humans knew. He hadn't known smelly people could suddenly smell of more than just their body odor. Suddenly there was cheap perfume, mold, old bread, garlic. That wasn't to say they didn't smell bad, just that there was so much __more__. And a gray-blue world that blurred where he felt he should be able to see, and noises from far away. At the stop sign he just passed, for instance, he could hear not only the rap music from one almost-green car, but also the beeping of someone pushing the numbers on a phone from within some other car.

Such a different world.

One person watched him as he sat waiting for the light to change, and he prepared to run, but they walked away and he was free to trot in front of the cars and past a small shopping mall. He thought he was about halfway there, halfway to Qat's, and the sun was high in the sky. It was Friday. By now, Heero would know without a doubt that something was wrong. He could only hope that Heero wouldn't go to Duo's house alone and unprepared.

As long as Heero was on a search for Duo, however, he would not go back to his own house, which meant he wouldn't be drinking anything from his fridge. It could only be a good thing.

Another car pulled to the side of the road, parking in front of him. He stopped moving. Should he go back? Cross the street? He looked to the road, a little uncomfortable with the idea. It had been a rather close call when he'd done it earlier, and he wasn't too inclined to repeat the procedure again so soon. Especially since he was so damn hot.

He took a step back as both the driver's and passenger's doors popped open and two men stepped out.

And then the scents hit his nose and he yipped. Heero! Wufei!

He charged over to them, to Heero, and hardly noticed that his tail was wagging. Heero actually bent down at his approach, holding out his hands. Duo ran right into them, not bothering to worry about being shipped to the pound just then. It was Heero. And Wufei. And they both looked perfectly fine and completely human.

Wufei chuckled as Heero raised a hand to pet Duo between the ears. He leaned into the touch on pure instinct, shocked at the sharp shock of nerves. Shit, that felt good. Without thinking about it, he opened his mouth and let his tongue loll out. His panting was a little happier now, if that was possible.

Well. If he ever needed proof that he had really turned into a dog, this was pretty much it. Short of a mirror.

"Are you certain you've never met this dog before, Yuy?" Wufei chuckled again. Gods, they both smelled so good. After all the strange smells of the city, smelling that spicy aroma and Heero's mess of wood and gunpowder and soap was heaven.

"I'm positive. It must smell Duo on us."

Duo froze for a moment there. Just what was going on? Why were these two after him? How had they known to come to him? Had they found the poison?

"Or perhaps our scents were in Maxwell's house."

"Maybe." Something passed over that face that was so close to his own. Heero took a deep breath and continued petting him, moving his hands to the back of Duo's ear. Duo leaned his head, following the movement of that hand. This wasn't quite what he'd imagined when he'd thought of Heero's hands on him, but hell if it didn't feel fantastic. "Wufei, look. His eyes. They look just like Duo's – that almost-purple."

Wufei bent, too, and turned Duo's head simply by cupping his muzzle. Duo growled in warning. "You're right," he said then, and shot Duo a careful look, waiting to see if the dog would bite him. "He does have Maxwell's eyes. That's not a normal color for a dog. Is something wrong with him?"

Heero shrugged, but he tapped Wufei's hand to make him let go. When he did, Heero moved his finger in front of Duo's face. Understanding the procedure, he followed the movement with his gaze. When Heero moved said hand to snap beside Duo's ears, they flicked, and he turned his head to stare at Heero's hand. Heero slowly moved one hand to Duo's face. When Duo didn't make any aggressive movements, he opened Duo's jowls and looked at his gums. "Not only does he not seem to have any defects, he doesn't even seem to be in anything less than perfect health."

Duo grinned and ended up panting in Heero's face. Oddly enough, Mr. Perfect Soldier didn't seem to mind. He actually pet Duo again as he spoke.

Were those long fingers trembling?

"Do you think Maxwell had been watching a neighbor's dog, then? He certainly doesn't act like a stray."

If Duo ever got a dog, he would be sure to include it in the conversation. Being talked around was annoying, dog body or no. Taking a chance, he leaned in and gave Heero a sloppy doggy kiss on the cheek.

And got a childlike laugh for the effort.

He watched it blossom over that normally stoic face and wished he could see every color, not just blues and greens and yellows. Wished he could watch that bright smile wash over that mouth every day.

Heero rubbed Duo's cheeks and lightly headbumped him. Yes, those fingers were trembling. "I don't think so, Wufei. I know this is ridiculously illogical, but it's like I can feel Duo in this dog. And unless this dog is kind to everyone indiscriminately – something I'm inclined to disagree with, since he growled at you – I think he's Duo's. I often spend time at Duo's. My smell is probably everywhere there, and Duo's smell is probably all over me."

It was more than Duo had ever heard Heero say at once, and it surprised him enough to stop him from licking Heero again. Heero was right; Duo could himself on Heero – the smell of his shampoo, and of the rain.

Wufei made a sound of agreement. "I suppose. That at least explains why the animal isn't neutered."

Duo snapped his head up and looked at Wufei. He wouldn't! He hadn't even considered the possibility, but suddenly it was a serious problem. His little buddies were in danger!

"Look, Wufei," Heero said, and Duo could hear amusement in that voice, "I think he takes exception to your suggestion."

Duo barked in agreement. Would his closest friends really take away his balls? Sure, he looked like a dog now, but that was just unacceptable! He backed out of Heero's stroking hand and barked again, then thought for a moment. He needed to get a message to these guys somehow. But how, exactly? He couldn't speak or write. He had nothing to use as props. Still! He couldn't let them drink anything from their homes. And couldn't let them neuter him, either.

He barked again, then whined and turned a quick circle. All it served to do was make the both of them stare at him like they were reconsidering the 'something wrong with him' theory.

Then Heero came back over to him and pet him again. "Good boy. Wufei, get the leash and collar."

Leah? Collar? Oh, hell, no. He was fully capable of heeling, dammit. He made to prove that and found himself trapped in Heero's arms. He brought a paw up, trying to push Heero off, but really, what was he thinking? Talk about useless.

Wufei came back with that damn leash and collar and Heero held Duo down as Wufei adjusted the collar to fit and snapped the leash on. Duo snarled at the two of them, but he didn't bite, even though Heero was obviously prepared for such an action, his muscles tense and expectant. Duo tugged against that hold, though, then again and again despite the uselessness of it. And when the two finally stood and started walking to their patrol car, leash in Wufei's hand, Duo dug in his nails and growled some more.

Wufei shot him a sour look. "As stubborn as Maxwell, too." He pulled again. "Come on."

"Wufei! Be a bit gentler, would you? You're going to hurt his neck." Wufei huffed and rolled his eyes, but he stopped tugging. Heero came back to kneel by Duo's side again. "We need you to come with us, okay?" he whispered, disarming Duo with that something in his eyes, that expression he didn't recognize. Something that pinched at Heero's eyes and mouth. Fear? "You're all we have. Do you understand? You're all we have for finding your master."

Duo froze then as things fell into place. How they'd found out about a dog, he didn't know. He turned his head to Wufei, who kept his eyes on the car door, hard and glaring. Then he turned back to Heero, to a gaze that seemed almost begging. Begging a __dog__.

Duo didn't realize he was going to whimper until he already did. He ducked his head for a moment before stepping forward and bumping his muzzle against Heero's forehead. The man blinked once and just knelt there for a minute. Duo took the chance to follow after Wufei and hopped into the back when the Chinese man opened the door. He turned around in time to see Wufei's look of surprise, too. It almost made him want to laugh – until the twit tossed the leash inside and slammed the door shut, even though Duo just sat on the seat. Duo glared.

Heero and Wufei moved to the front of the car, both sliding inside with looks over their shoulder in case Duo tried – what? To jump the seats like hurdles and make a break for the oh-so-enticing highway? Then the two buckled up and Wufei started the car. The tension in the car was immediate. They were both worried about their missing friend. That was why they were so adamant about Duo's safety. Because they had no idea where he was.

If only he could tell them he was right there.

Wufei pulled out onto the road again, and Duo lay down to keep himself from losing his still shaky balance. Heero was still sending him glances every once in a while, but Wufei's eyes never strayed from the road. They were both dead silent.

Damn, the collar was annoying.

__Damn__ , it was quiet. And the tension was still so thick it threatened to choke.

Duo waited until Heero's eyes fell on him again, then leaned up and licked the window.

Heero snorted.

Finally Wufei's eyes flicked away from the windshield. "What, Yuy?"

Heero pointed to the backseat, where Duo was trying to categorize the taste. He hadn't known windows could taste like anything, but they did. "Duo's dog just started cleaning your window."

"What?"

It was enough to keep the silence at bay until the car stopped somewhere and Wufei turned off the ignition.


	2. A Barking Dog Never Bites

He was surprised when he hopped out of the patrol car to find the smells of Heero everywhere. A couple more sniffs and a quick look around and Duo finally realized he was looking at a doggy image of Heero's home. He ran to the door – he was pretty proficient with running now – and turned to Heero before barking. His leash hung behind him unmanned.

Wufei sighed as he walked beside Heero up the drive. They weren't moving slowly, just walking. Still, Duo found himself slightly impatient. Didn't these guys know how to __move__? "I suppose Maxwell's been here recently?"

Heero chuckled. "Of course. Hasn't he been to your place, too?"

This time Wufei snorted. Heero flipped his keys as they both climbed the stairs. "Of course."

Was this a running joke among his friends? So yeah, Duo made a point to go around to everybody's place. Seriously, it felt like if he didn't, the five would go drifting, like planets out of orbit, and he'd never see the other four again. They were his pack. His family. Such an ending was unacceptable.

He jumped up on his hind legs as Heero unlocked the door, eager to get inside and get to something – a phone, maybe – and prove that he wasn't an ordinary dog. Heero was psychotically paranoid; he would eventually figure it out.

First, though, he had to get to that fridge and spill the drinks.

"Calm down." Heero looked down at Duo with a little glare and kept the front door closed. "Does he have to pee or something?"

Uh-oh. If Heero left him outside to take a leak, then he could very well grab a drink – and then offer Wufei one, too! Duo whimpered and sat down. He would act like a normal dog until he could at least ascertain Heero's and Wufei's safety. Then he would find a way to communicate with Heero. Somehow.

"Look, Yuy. It seems he knows what you're saying. Perhaps he does need to use the grass." Wufei cocked his head to the side. "If this dog is so smart and well-trained, how did he come into Maxwell's possession?"

Hey!

Heero smiled a little and opened his door, stepping in Duo's way, keeping him from entering. Wufei walked inside.

No, no, no. Not good.

"I can't say, Wufei. He'd remarkably well-trained, but Duo didn't have a dog yesterday. I'd say he's someone else's, but..."

Duo strained to see inside from where he saw, but Heero was very good at acting the blockade and Heero's house was just a bunch of grays and... ooh. Heero ordered pizza when he got back last night? Oh, not fair. And sausage. There'd been sausage.

Oh. And mushrooms. Ew. Mushrooms.

Heero stepped inside, as well, and turned to Duo. It was the hell-no-said-politely face. That was bad. That was desperately bad. Duo whimpered again, this time without meaning to, and held up a paw.

Heero blinked.

Please. Please, please, let him in. He wouldn't pee or poop anywhere unnatural for dogs, even though just the thought of going outside again – he'd gone once while in the park, far away from the world that would mock his three-legged attempts – was extremely embarrassing.

"What the hell are you?" Heero asked, and with that he stepped aside and let Duo in.

"Yuy, the first damn thing we have to do is call some vets or make a few stops. We need to know whose dog that thing is – whoa, what – you let him into the house?"

But Duo wasn't paying attention to Wufei's surprise, or even to Heero directly beside him, waiting impatiently for him to come in so he could close the door.

Wufei was digging into the fridge and pulling out Heero's obligatory gallon of iced green tea.

He ran forward, barking and digging his nails into Heero's carpet and rushing Wufei, scrabbling onto the linoleum. He skidded slightly when his back paws hit the tiles.

But of course Heero and Wufei were ex-Gundam pilots; while Wufei pulled away with an L5 curse, Heero ran forward and stomped on his leash. His barking jerked to a choked yelp, and with a snarl he turned. Heero already had his hands out to block, to grab his muzzle, but Duo didn't go for his partner. The leash was his target, and it was that which he ground in his jaws.

"What the hell is wrong with him now?" Wufei took another step back, but automatically he balanced the damn gallon in his hand, keeping it upright. Not one drop spilled. Duo strained forward as Wufei moved away.

"Stop, Shinigami!"

Duo froze there, so surprised he turned to Heero and stared for a long moment. Shinigami? Really? It was so fantastically perfect that it made Duo want to laugh out loud.

Was he panting? Happy-panting?

"My God." Wufei put down the gallon; Duo could tell without looking because he heard a small, sloshing thud. "He responded. The dog actually responded to that." The Chinese man cleared his throat. "He could simply be reacting to the tone of your voice."

But Heero seemed to consider that. "Shinigami?"

Duo played the game and perked his ears forward. It was harder than he'd expected – Wufei was moving to the cupboards, opening one. Duo looked back and growled. Wufei hesitated in the act of putting the cup on the counter.

"Shinigami. Sit."

Duo chafed at Heero's command, needing to go over to Wufei, but nonetheless he sat. And whimpered again. Damn, he was going to need more control over that.

Finally Wufei left the counter and the cup and the tea and stooped down, leaning on his toes and bending his knees. "I don't believe it. Could it be?"

"But Duo never had a dog," Heero said, his voice very firm. Duo eyed the tea. "Never. He'd always said a pet was like buying a tragedy."

"Of course he did." Wufei reached out for Duo, and Duo could see the man was ready to pull to safety in an instant. Duo nudged the fingers with his nose. Wufei smiled. "What about when he was with the Schbeiker girl, when he was helping clean up outer space? Did they have a dog at the yard or something?"

Heero walked over to the phone, the leash wrapped around his ankle. Duo skidded a bit across the floor. Hm. Kind've fun. "I'll call her and find out."

Wufei's eyebrows rose. "You know her number?"

It made Duo jump, the sudden realization. He couldn't see much – blushes couldn't be seen, since anything red or pink translated in his eyes to a mottled gray-white, or simply didn’t exist on the colors he _could_ see – but suddenly he could smell it. Just like he'd smelled Wufei's shock, Heero's thoughtful consideration. He hadn't even realized he'd been marking emotions with his nose until suddenly he smelled something so unfathomable as Heero's embarrassment. "No, I don't. But Quatre does."

"Of course he does," Wufei grumbled, so low that Duo was amazed to hear it. But then the man stood up and returned to the tea.

Shit!

Duo leaped forward again, and this time the leash snapped from its earlier abuse and let him loose. Heero yelled at him to stop, but this time he didn't listen and he had only one second to guess how to jump – front first, then back? – and he snapped for the gallon of tea when Wufei dodged his attack. The drink tipped and spilled, soaking the stove and the counter and the floor. Duo pushed Wufei down, afraid the drink would fall into the man's mouth or nose or eyes, and hope the poison didn't work through clothes and skin.

Ah. Speaking of which – what the hell had happened to the clothes he'd worn last night?

No time. He smothered Wufei with his body simply by lying his neck on Wufei's face to keep the liquid away. Heero, thankfully, had instinctively jumped back to avoid the deluge.

The gallon banged and bounced off the floor, rolling awkwardly until thudding gently against Duo's left hind leg.

It seemed to shake Wufei out of his stupor. "You goddamn beast!" He didn't pull his punches at all, but rolled Duo onto his back, into the spilled tea, and shoved a palm against his neck. It pushed out a strangled whine from his throat. "What the fuck, Yuy? It sits for you, but it's feral with me?"

"If he were feral, he'd have bitten you when he got you on the ground."

Heero wasn't angry. Why? He was obsessed with cleanliness, after all, and Duo couldn't get up to look, but he could swear there was a very large mess. Hell, talking about not being able to look, Duo couldn't even push against Wufei's hold – not, of course, that he wanted to. Doing so had never ended well for him, even back when he'd understood how to move his body.

He heard Heero walk a few footsteps forward. On instinct, he flinched. Heero wasn't known for losing his temper, but he __was__ known for kicking ass. Very calmly kicking ass.

"Oh, sure, be scared of __him__."

Wufei, on the other hand, was known to get very, very angry. Duo whimpered again – and was once more cut off as Wufei increased the weight of his palm. Grey and white got splotched with black. A long, low ring flatlined in his ears.

"Wufei, let him go."

Wufei turned to Heero in horror, never letting up the weight on Duo's neck as he did. "Yuy, are you insane? This thing attacked me!"

"He snarled when you picked up the tea, then when you did it again. Let the animal breathe, Wufei! Are you trying to kill him?"

Wufei finally let up and stood, shaking his hands. A droplet fell to the floor.

Duo rolled to his feet and moved to investigate Wufei's hands, but Wufei was having nothing of it. When Duo leaned up, Wufei shoved one fast palm into the middle of Duo's chest. He felt his lungs heave before he even landed, his back hitting the hard floor, sending a small splash as he skidded through a puddle. Pain shot up and down his spine. He fell limply to his side, his body heaving. Ow. That hurt even more now than when he’d been human.

"Wufei!"

"He jumped at me–"

But Wufei's words were cut off. Duo saw Heero grab Wufei's hand and shove it under the faucet before turning the water on full blast. He closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing. Shit, his ribcage hurt. Or at least it felt like a ribcage. Definitely hurt like a ribcage.

Heero'd figured it out. It almost made Duo laugh. Even when he was a dog, Heero understood him through all the useless yapping. He'd been the first one to agree to the pilot's dinner, after all.

"Yuy, what the hell...?"

"He only attacked when he saw the drink, Wufei. Think."

Their Chinese friend was quiet for a long moment. "Maxwell would only name an animal Shinigami if it was a warrior."

That didn't make any sense to Duo, but Heero simply said, "exactly," and then they were silent, cleaning Wufei up.

"I'm calling Une," Heero said, and Wufei didn't say anything. It was Wufei Code for acceptance. Duo struggled with his legs for a moment before getting them underneath him again and getting to his feet. Paws. Whatever.

Shit. His legs were shaking.

There was the click of a phone being picked up from its receiver, buttons being pressed. Duo whined, looked over at the mess everywhere, and whined again. He couldn't think of any other way to apologize.

"Yuy." Wufei sighed again."I suppose I must be the one to clean the monster up."

"Absolutely not." Heero nodded at Duo. "He may have particulates on him from whatever happened to Duo. Just make sure his face is clear. Une." He turned away and focused on the phone in his hand.

Duo's doggie jaw dropped. Particulates?

"Wonderful," Wufei murmured, and Duo wholeheartedly agreed.

* * *

"I take it this poor animal is the one you called me for."

Une looked extremely unimpressed with Duo's existence, and at that point, Duo agreed. He'd been left to drip dry out on the deck, a horribly humiliating process that only increased when he had to pee. He'd gone to a corner beside Heero's chain link fence and hid behind a small pine he'd planted himself about a year ago. If they ever... no, __when__ they finally found out who he was, he would never be able to live it down.

Now the humiliation, if anything, was increasing still more. Heero had apparently decided to appoint himself as temporary dog owner, which meant he had a front row seat for the particulate search – a very thorough, very painstaking search.

And very thorough. Had he mentioned that part?

"And what, exactly, makes you believe this dog is from the crime scene before we even compare hair – fur – samples?" Une crossed her arms and glared down at Duo, a completely wasted exercise, since his concerns were more focused on the guy picking around the upper thighs of his back legs. He'd gone from sitting to lying on his side, watching Heero as he in turn watched Duo. Was his partner looking a little tired, or was he making it up in his doggie brain? It wasn't as if he'd smelled 'sleepy' before. And he didn't think his nose senses were ready to label Heero sleepy, anyway. Maybe overworked would be a better term?

"Watch," Heero was saying, and looked Duo in the eye. "Shinigami."

Tired of it already, Duo nonetheless perked his ears forward. Une only cocked an eyebrow. "He understands Japanese?"

"It was an old code the doctors taught us – for emergency use only. Duo abused it, of course; he called himself Shinigami. It means the god of death."

Une made a considering noise. "Circumstantial."

"Duo's missing, and there's nothing odd about the house except the signs of a canine chewing open the back door. At this point, I don't give a shit."

Duo blinked. Had Heero just cursed in Une's face? Wow, buddy. Duo grinned until his tongue lolled out. Temper, temper.

Une didn't say anything else – had he entered a different dimension when he woke up as a dog? – and simply looked back to Duo. "Why this dog?"

"Brown fur. I saw him when I drove to work, but I didn't think anything of it then. He's also shown an intelligence to match what's necessary to open the back door."

Gee, thanks so much. So Duo seemed smart enough to open a door, huh? Well, hurray.

He jumped and snarled as the damn Preventors agent poked at his testicles.

"Shinigami, stay." Heero came over. "Move. I'll do it."

Duo whimpered. His ears fell back. Um, what?

The nameless agent handed Heero the brush and pad and tweezers and backed off. Duo watched with wide eyes as Heero bent beside him, about half a second away from bolting. Heero kept a steady gaze of his own on Duo, and that face held something Duo couldn't quite identify without full color, though the power of those dark blue eyes was even greater now. As for scent, all he could smell was determination. There was no way he was winning this argument.

He whimpered and lowered his head. And clenched his eyes shut very, very tightly. Hopefully Heero wouldn't realize that his little Shinigami had a boner.

Well, goddammit, he may have been a dog on the outside, but he was totally human on the inside. And Mr. Human was winning this round.

"Yuy." Wufei stepped out of the house, pausing for a moment to bow slightly to Une before stepping carefully over to Duo. "Not done yet?"

"The tea slowed the man down. Apparently it gets a bit sticky when mixed with dog fur." Heero didn't even look Wufei's way, though Duo could smell that Wufei was as surprised as him at the sudden slip into humor. Heero simply put on gloves and touched one of Duo's balls, lifting it to look for trace evidence. If only he wasn't wearing gloves. If only he wasn't __touching__ that. Shit. Duo whimpered. That felt __really__ good.

"Dare I ask why you are now the one searching the animal? And why you are searching his privates?"

Jesus, this was torture. "Because he growled at the last man and has yet to do so with me." Heero didn't pause for a second. When he found nothing on one, he moved on to the other. Shit. Shit, shit, holy flaming shit.

"He has to be Maxwell's dog. He spoils you as much as his master."

Thank goodness he was a dog, or else that comment would have turned him red.

Une came over to take a look at him. He wanted to curl around his little friends to protect them, Heero's hands occupying vital space or not. "I admit his eyes color is certainly strange. I've sent a man to look around for information on lost pets. No chocolate labs with purple eyes yet."

Chocolate lab? So that’s what he was. He'd wondered.

"When can we expect anything concrete?" Wufei asked.

Une snorted, and Duo was sensitive enough to feel the breath whoosh over his fur. He felt his ears go back. "Never," she said, "but if we find nothing and no one comes forward to claim the dog, he's ours."

Heero looked up then, at the same time that Duo did. His little doggy heart started racing. "You didn't say anything about the case?" Heero asked.

"Of course not. I only said that one of our officers had found a stray that he wants to keep. We have to wait two weeks to have custody, but my judge friend has allowed this." She pointed to Heero's hand.

Wufei snorted again, but the adrenaline in the air seemed to dissipate a bit. "On what grounds?"

"On the grounds that he owed me for his daughter's indecent conduct five months ago. How long are you going to fondle that dog, Agent Yuy?"

Oh, that was a very good question. Heero's fingers were warmer than Duo'd thought they'd been, but maybe that was a dog thing. Or a glove thing? And they were definitely still calloused – Duo could feel the little bumps and rough patches almost everywhere those fingers touched, even through the latex. Stupid sensitivity.

But oh, the gentleness. That was what was really killing him. The last time Heero had been so gentle – hell, the last time Heero had touched him at all – they'd been injured on an explosives bust and Duo had been too busy bleeding out to realize the last baddie had blown himself up with his last little bomb. This? This was absolutely unprecedented. The first time.

Well, he'd better enjoy it. It would probably be the last time, too.

Heero moved up from his inspection of Duo's nuts and did a cursory glance over the rest. "He had a lot of particulates on him, but most will probably be from his trek across the city." He stood then and let Mr. Nameless take the tools from his hands. Heero pinched off the gloves as he continued. "How long do you think this will take?"

"It's our highest priority," Mr. Nameless said, and Duo would've taken it for the usual dodging jargon if the man hadn't thrown a glance Une's way and sent so many nervous scents that Duo fidgeted, as well. Ew. That dude hadn't put on enough deodorant for the amount of sweat he had rolling on himself.

"Good," Une said, and thank goodness but the man understood the dismissal and just freaking __left__. Duo glared at him and found himself snarling again. Were all of his emotions going to be so easily vocalized? Or maybe that was a good thing, since he certainly couldn't communicate any other way.

"We'll get the lab results for the tea, as well, and get back to you as soon as possible. We won't rest, Yuy."

Heero nodded and tossed the gloves to Wufei, who obligingly took them away to be thrown in the trash can. Heero slid one hand into the fur of Duo's side, but he didn't pet. His fingers were tense, like guitar strings. Duo looked at him and saw, in a face limned in the yellow of the sun, eyes set in cobalt stone. "Neither will I."

* * *

Heero drank straight from the Coke bottle he'd left to collect, dragging Duo along for the ride because of his 'protected witness' status. They were in Heero’s kitchen now, the floor and counter and stove newly cleaned. Duo actually helped there, letting Wufei spray him clean with a hose and finding a strange delight in opening his jaws and feeling that sharp prick of water on his tongue.

Heero sighed, the fourth time in five minutes, and put his drink down. Those eyes wandered around the room, finally landing on Duo, also for about the fourth time in five minutes. "You, damn you, are a mystery."

Duo was just sitting on the floor on the other side of the room, minding his own business. Of course, now his tail was wagging. After all, Heero hated mysteries. He always needed to understand. That meant Heero would keep digging until he found out who Duo really was beneath all the fur and the paws and muzzle and shit. More, Quatre and Trowa had been contacted, and everyone was on alert. Duo had heard Wufei tell Une that. It was good – it meant the only one who's been screwed over was him. There was a higher chance, then, of the other four figuring out what happened.

So long as they stuck together long enough to do so. And with the Gundam Dinner being canceled that night, the chances of the idiots drifting apart again were actually quite high.

It made Duo want to grind his teeth. Whoever had made him lose all his progress would pay.

"In fact," Heero said suddenly, startling Duo from his musings and coming to kneel in front of him, "I don't understand you at all. Duo didn't have a dog. I know he didn't. And Hilde said he'd had no dogs when he was with her, either."

Duo actually started panting, right there in Heero's face. He stopped and tilted his head to the side. Heero wouldn't have a game of Scrabble, would he? Or children's blocks? He couldn't imagine either.

"Duo never even mentioned wanting a dog. The only thing he's ever said on the subject of pets, other than the tragedy of them, was the oddness of ferrets and exotics."

Duo blinked at that one, but Heero was standing and turning and running a hand through his hair. He'd only mentioned ferrets in passing one day, after hearing another Preventors agent talk about them. That had been, what? Weeks ago? Months. Heero had been ignoring him at the time, right? But then Heero had always been ridiculously skilled and paranoid; maybe he automatically categorized information? Maybe he had photographic memory. Maybe he thought ferrets were weird, too.

Heero leaned against the sink and stared out the window, out at the darkness that had crept up on them as Wufei gave Heero his farewells and slid one last disbelieving look at Duo. Wufei had sworn not to drink anything in his house, and he'd apparently gotten Quatre and Trowa to do the same. They would hopefully be safe for the night.

Of course, that only meant that danger would come in a new form.

"Where the hell are you, Duo?"

Duo whined. A few short steps had him standing beside Heero. He could smell a small mess of emotions, each more garbled than the last. He sat next to his partner and leaned his head against the man's knee, offering whatever comfort he could. Wordlessly, Heero dropped that hand again, this time on the top of Duo's head. "I don't know where he is. I'm a failure as an agent and as his partner."

Duo whine-barked and leaned up on Heero's leg. The man caught his balance easily, so easily Duo didn't have to fear falling right back down again. Instead he leaned up while Heero was recovering and nudged Heero's cheek with his nose. He wished he could speak, could say something to let Heero know that he was right there and that he wouldn't stand for that kind of talk. But no matter what he thought of, he was at a standstill. How did a dog go about convincing people he was human?

Heero sighed and finally pet him behind his ears again. And damn him, but he started that stupid happy-panting at the touch. "I know. I understand, Shinigami, so don't give me that look." What look? But Heero just sighed again and looked outside again. "I know," he said again. "Duo would tell me to quit whining and do something about it."

Duo snorted. That sounded much nicer than what he would actually say.

Heero smiled then, taking Duo so much by surprise that he almost lost his precarious balance and fell. "Right." That hand started working its magic again. "He'd say to get off my emo ass and shift into Zero. Then he'd call me Hee-chan to piss me off. I have no idea why I ever told him my ethnicity."

He was practically slobbering in happiness. Not only was he getting Heero's hand on him – and even as a dog, it felt fantastic – he was having Heero actually repeat something he'd been thinking – and his own wording spoken. That meant Heero actually paid attention to him. That meant Heero actually cared enough to listen. Holy shit. What a victory.

"All right, buddy. Down." Heero pointed to the floor, and reluctantly Duo did as ordered. Heero pushed away from the sink and looked around his kitchen, momentarily lost. Then the look was gone, replaced by a very firm smell of half-anger, something that was making Duo stand at point. But Heero only turned to him and said, "your bed is here, got it? You are not coming with me to my bed, nor are you to take the couch. Understood?"

Like butt he was doing that. As soon as Heero was out of sight, the couch was his. But he barked for Heero. Hey! Maybe he could find something to help him communicate while Heero was asleep. Maybe.

"Good. Good boy." Heero gave him one last pat before heading out of the kitchen, through the living room, up the steps, and into the bathroom. Even from a distance, Duo could hear the soft click of the door and the tinkle of urine on water.

One look around had told him that communication would be difficult, if not impossible. How could he possibly tell Heero everything? Maybe the drug test of Une's might help, but somehow he didn't want to take that chance. From what he figured, people took liberties with their pets that they didn't with other people. Letting them into the bathroom with them, or walking around naked in their house with them. What would Heero do?

Then he shook his doggy head and forcefully cleared it of dirty thoughts. Bad. Bad Duo.

Heero flushed the toilet upstairs and turned on the sink. First things first – he seriously needed to let Heero know who he was, if for no other reason than because Heero was worried about him. About his partner who hadn't shown up for work and had instead disappeared without a trace. Well, without a human trace.

He paced for a minute, then sat as Heero went to his bedroom and shut that door, too. He had to take another moment to erase some more mental images before he lay down and thought.

Really, the only plan that popped into his head was props. Utensils. Forks that spelled out a message. It would have to be fairly simple, since just setting it up would take forever, but he was fairly certain he could do it.

Hey, if a dog could unlock and open a door, why not open a drawer and grab some knives or something, too?

Okay. It was a plan.

* * *

A plan that failed.

It wasn't his fault, dammit. He'd managed to get the drawer open. He'd managed to grab a knife in his awkward muzzle-mouth. But of course psycho Heero had heard him rooting around and had come down to yell at him. Whimper-barking meant nothing; Heero simply grabbed Duo and brought him into the bathroom. And any attempt to leave had only encouraged Heero's anger. He probably wouldn't be good with a baby.

Okay. New plan. Wait until Heero left the house.

Only Heero went nowhere without him.

The first thing Heero did when he woke up was take Duo out of the bathroom and take care of himself, the second to dump the rest of his Coke down the drain, and the third to take Duo with him for a fast food breakfast, something Heero ate with distaste. The fourth was to grab some dog food. It was rather terrifying for Duo to learn that the fast food had smelled interesting but strange, and absolutely horrifying to smell the dog food and start salivating. Did that mean he was going to be eating that crap?

The rest of the day was equally boring; Heero took him to several places he couldn't recognize, too unused to relying on scents to identify an area and too stuck in the car the investigate with his weird vision. But one time Heero returned with Une's smell on him – a faint smell of lotion and roses – and Duo quickly memorized the scent of the place as Preventors before Heero started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

It was rather annoying to sit on the car seat all the time, but Duo understood the process. Duo couldn't be left alone. And if Heero's tension was any indication, something was definitely worrying him. Heero was keeping his eyes on the road and his hands on the wheel. As a dog, there wasn't much he could do to help his partner. But there was certainly a message he could send.

For the first time in forever, Duo moved and nudged the radio dial with his nose.

The music was from his favorite radio station, since Heero only had the radio on when Duo was around. It sounded like Slipknot. Duo went straight into a doggy grin.

And with one small movement, Heero switched the radio back off.

Duo pouted, glaring petulantly at Heero until realizing that Heero probably couldn't decipher what the dog's stare meant. He turned the glare out the window then and watched gray shapes blur by. Through the air ducts of the car, he could smell faint traces of a thousand things – trees, cars, kids, gas, a dead animal somewhere far away. At least a vague green was visible, and the sky was definitely slightly blue. But the brown of the bark was hard to make out, pretty much not there, and if any of the cars nearby were red, he couldn't tell. The __sun__ was tinged a little gray, for God's sake.

Heero slowed down then, though the car remained idle. There were cars surrounding them, but it didn't seem like any were parked. Red light? Traffic? Gods, he missed the ability to __see__.

"If Duo had a dog," Heero said suddenly, seeming almost to be talking to himself, "I can imagine him teaching the animal to turn on the radio."

Duo turned to Heero, but the man's eyes were on the road. He wished he could simply __will__ the answer to his partner. But even if it cropped up in Heero's mind, how could he ever believe it?

"Dammit, Duo didn't have a dog, though!" Heero smacked a hand on the wheel, making Duo jump. Heero never displayed his anger like that. Never.

Heero had to be really upset. And this time, nothing about that made Duo happy. Those steel blue eyes that stared straight ahead gave him only a sense of trepidation. "Had he hidden it?" Heero was musing, even as he stepped on the gas and the car started moving again. "But how could he? It's a dog. A big dog. You can't just stick it in the basement..." But something was flickering in Heero's eyes, something Duo didn't like. Heero was selling himself on the idea of Duo having somehow hidden a massive freaking dog in his house for a long period of time. "There would have been clues," he murmured, but that was the end of the external dialogue. He was still thinking it over, though, the idiot. Duo could practically smell the gears turning.

He humphed.

It wasn't until they returned to Heero's house, a brand new gallon of tea in Heero's hand, that he spoke again.

"Why?"

Duo stumbled on his way out of the car, almost splattering his face on the driveway pavement. That had not been an analyzing or inquisitive tone of voice. It hadn't even been a frustrated tone of voice. It had almost sounded... lost.

Did the idiot really think Duo had somehow hidden a dog from all of them? And just how would he have managed that?

Heero pointed out into the yard and left Duo for a moment to go inside. Duo had just gone behind the pine and lifted his leg before Heero was out there with him, a phone now in his hand, a cup of tea in the other. The man's weapon was still holstered to his waist. Duo could smell the gunpowder and metal. He finished his business as quickly as possible and went back to Heero's side.

"Yes," Heero said, and looked down at Duo as he approached, "I need to know if there was any way Duo could have trained a dog to remain in a certain place." A pause. "Yes, quietly, Trowa!"

Duo barked.

"Sorry, Shinigami," Heero said, and Duo was so flabbergasted by the apology that he followed Heero back inside without making a bigger stink. "You must be starving. Here."

Heero grabbed the bag of food he'd bought earlier and carried it one-handed to the counter, holding the phone on his shoulder. Duo felt his mouth start to water and stopped moving. Really? But holy crap, the dog food actually smelled good. He remembered eating a little when he'd been a street rat. It had been disgusting.

"So it is possible," Heero said as he pulled down a bowl from the cupboard. "This is Duo we're talking about. If he wanted to hide something, it was untraceable." Duo was smelling something weird in the air again – a tight fear, and then an even tighter determination. It smelled a bit too melancholy for Duo's tastes. He eyed the silverware drawer, then the food. Would it be easier or harder to leave a message in Kibbles 'n' Bits? He could use his nose... but there was no way Heero would let him make that kind of a mess. Not after the knife fiasco.

"Hmm." Heero poured the food and looked at Duo for a moment before putting the bowl on the floor. Duo couldn't help himself – he dug in. Wow. It smelled great, it tasted great – a little dry, not unlike a ration bar, but not bad. Or maybe he was just so damn hungry, anything at that point would taste good. It was, after all, his first meal since becoming a dog. "No. He seems to be in perfect health."

Duo looked up. That was right. A dog kept in a basement wouldn't be getting the exercise it needed. And there was no way Duo would bother hiding a dog from Heero!

"But he's well-trained and responds to Shinigami?" Trowa's voice was strange over the phone, more whiny and metallic than usual. And suddenly it felt damn strange to hear Trowa and not smell him. "I don't know, Heero. I'll have to take a look at the dog when I arrive tomorrow."

"Quatre will be with you?"

"Yes, and Rashid is escorting the both of us. We'll pick up Wufei, as well, thought he argued rather vehemently against it today at Preventors."

At Preventors? Duo ignored the bowl of water Heero filled and placed beside his food dish. Had they all met at Preventors? What for?

"Could he be Sally's dog?" Duo heard Trowa muse.

"No. I already asked her. And Hilde Schbeiker, Duo's old war friend."

"We don't have any chocolate labs at the circus. Never did. And Quatre didn't have one, either."

Duo took another quick munch of food while the conversation shifted gears to a new topic. Why, of all animals – of all dogs – was he a lab? What did that mean? Maybe his earlier thoughts about the pilots turning into different types of dogs was all wrong. Maybe they would all turn into chocolate labs. But imagining Wufei as a lab just seemed horribly, horribly wrong.

"We both know Wufei would never own a dog." Heero sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was leaning against the sink again. "But that still doesn't explain how this dog only left traces in the kitchen, or how the dog even came to be in Duo's house. And with that unidentified poison..." Heero's hands clenched. His heart beat so fast and heavy even Duo could hear it. The Perfect Soldier's head hung.

Duo whined.

With a deep breath, Heero relaxed his breathing, and his heart rate slowed. He picked up his tea and took a sip, then put it back on the counter again. "We still have no leads."

"The Preventors will find out what's in that poison, Heero," Trowa said, and the softness of his voice was an effort to soothe that only made Heero tense again. "You know they will. It's top priority. Une said it herself."

"Yes. I know." But that just-barely-blurry face didn't look even remotely comforted. "But I doubt we'll be able to find anything in it that will lead us to Duo. There were no traces of anything unusual in the house. It's like Duo just disappeared."

Heero's heart was starting to beat fast again. Duo took another last bite and lapped up some water while Heero and Trowa stayed silent on the phone, both probably needing comfort but unable to lie. More than ever, Duo found himself needing a communication device.

"Have they found out anything about whoever broke in?" Trowa asked finally, and Duo stopped drinking, waiting for the answer.

"No. I'm worried about going everywhere with this dog, but I can't leave him alone. Not when someone can come into our houses without us knowing." Heero picked up his tea, but his hand trembled. He placed it back down without taking a sip.

"Do you really think the threat is real?"

"They know, Trowa." That heart rate was up to pounding again. Heero was practically gasping. "They know about the drink, about Duo's disappearance. We have to assume the threat is real."

Trowa was silent, but Duo only had a moment to think before the man found his voice. "Then could they have–"

"No!" Heero suddenly turned around and leaned over the sink, his teeth bared. Duo could hear his breath as he gulped in air. "No," he said again. "Duo is not dead. He's not!"

Duo whined and raised a paw. Heero.

Trowa paused again before speaking, his voice low. "We'll be there tomorrow, Heero." And he hung up.

Heero slammed the phone onto the counter, not bothering to return it to the vid. Duo saw those beautiful eyes shut tight. "He's not dead," Heero said, but now the vehemence of before was gone. He slammed both hands on the countertop. Something crashed. "Duo can't be dead!"


	3. Don't Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duo tries to get his message out while the group falls apart.

Duo had just been let outside to run off some steam when the guys showed up. Heero was a sneaky bastard.

It was Trowa who got out of the car first, though that might have been because Quatre was busy thanking Rashid and Wufei was cursing about something. Trowa got out chuckling. Then the man moved, and that forced the air around him to move, and the ginormous flood of smells almost made Duo reel. It was like a scent conglomerate of everything cool. Duo ran over to Trowa and sniffed his foot. Straw. He smelled straw! Who knew straw had such a distinctive smell? And lions! He could smell a lion – how he knew it was a lion was beyond him, but that was definitely lion urine. If he were human, he would have smirked. Trowa got peed on. Or stepped in pee. Either way, he was now Pee-man.

A couple more car doors opened and then someone was there beside him, petting that magic spot behind his ear. "This must be Duo's dog. Shinigami, right?"

Duo barked for confirmation. It was a better name than most, at least. Actually, the name was kind of kickass. And while Heero and Wufei and the others had teased him for calling himself Shinigami during the war, they were certainly calling him that now. Details unnecessary.

"Yes, that's him," Wufei said, coming up to them. Duo heard Heero's footsteps approach the back door and turned to him. Quatre, by the way, smelled of cologne and baby powder and had hints of Trowa's circus on his clothes. A repeat visitor to the place, maybe? Mwa ha ha.

Then the back door opened and Duo yipped despite himself, half-jumping in his excitement. Heero had all of the guys at his house. Yes, they were discussing Duo's disappearance, and yes, it was easier for them to all come to Heero since he had the Mystery Dog – the one confined to the bathroom apparently every damn night now – but still. The guys were staying a team. At least for now.

"Hello." Heero watched Duo with unreadable eyes.

"We brought you some more tea," Wufei said, lifting the quart in question.

"Thank you." Wufei brought it over and deposited it into Heero's hand. Duo was still getting a monster rub-down by his blond friend. He found himself falling to those fingers, letting them trace a trail down his back and side and when Duo obligingly fell onto his back, those fingers rubbed up and down against his stomach. Holy shit. Like magic.

"Look, Trowa." Duo looked around, too, until he realized Quatre was pointing at him. "He really does have Duo's eyes."

Trowa bent down and gently cupped Duo's muzzle, turning Duo's eyes to his tallest friend. "You're right." Trowa seemed sad about it, though.

Come to think about it... Quatre seemed sad about it, as well.

"We should go inside," Heero said finally, then, "Shinigami! Inside." Duo went to the door as Heero opened it and sat beside the table. He wasn't going to miss a word of this.

The others seated themselves along the table, Heero at one end and Wufei at the other. Quatre leaned over and pet Duo again, but the blond's eyebrows were furrowed as he sat by Heero's left. Trowa took the seat beside the blond, of course, and Duo sat between Quatre and Heero, sticking close to his partner. It was Quatre who broke the silence that was starting to cling. "The drug was found in all of our drinks, right?" Duo looked around to see a short nod from the others. "But only one of us – Duo – drank anything. Why?"

Heero shrugged and looked away, crossing his arms. His shoulders were tense. "I was tired after the bust; I ordered a pizza and a drink to go with it."

Quatre nodded, absently petting around Duo's muzzle. "I went to Trowa's – the circus, I mean." The blond blushed. "We went to a dinner thing I had to go to, and I just went to sleep after that."

"I stayed up, but I went to work with the animals. I bunked at the circus instead of heading to my apartment." Trowa watched Quatre's fingers move over Duo's cheek rather thoughtfully. Duo wished he was human now more than ever, simply so that he could smirk at the man.

"And I stayed at my desk until very late," Wufei said, thereby ending that little discussion. "Maxwell must have gotten a drink after your bust, Yuy."

Heero's breath hitched for a half-second. "He did," Heero said, voice quiet. "I saw him – on the vid. He drank one of those energy drinks of his. The Gatorade." Duo whined at him, then turned to Wufei and growled. Way to guilt the man up, Chang.

"It's like he understands," Quatre said, his voice sounding almost amused. Yet the words triggered in Duo a spark of hope. Of all his friends, the one most sensitive to things was Quatre. He was the most open-minded, the most intuitive. Taking a chance, Duo barked.

"I think he just likes people's voices," Wufei said. Duo turned and growled at him again.

Trowa chuckled. "Not yours, apparently."

Wufei glared at him, but it was Heero who spoke. "Can we get back on-topic, please?"

"Oh. Of course. We're sorry, Heero." And like that, Quatre stopped petting Duo and turned back to the table.

No, no, no! Duo whined. Please, dammit! Someone had to fucking figure it out! Dogs didn't magically appear in places!

He lowered his head. Then again, just how many people would believe a human could become a dog?

"Is there really no evidence at all, Heero?" Quatre asked. "No trace of where Duo could be?"

Okay. Duo took a deep doggie breath. He could listen to these guys from probably anywhere in the house. That meant he could search for a way to communicate...

Laptop.

The thing would be absolutely perfect. Heero always had his bloody laptop, and even through the thing was password protected, Duo could definitely get in, given enough time.

Duo left the room while Heero repeated in fancier terms what he'd discussed with Trowa on the phone last night. Heero's laptop would almost certainly be in his room. He would start there.

"Where is he going?" Wufei asked, the man's voice – and scent – trailing in from the kitchen.

"Exploring." Trowa sounded like he was grinning. "You can't expect him to care about what we're talking about, can you?"

"It's __his__ master."

"Maybe. We don't know that," Heero said, cutting in once more and breaking up the wannabe argument. Duo kept listening as he climbed the stairs. Being dragged to the upstairs bathroom two nights in a row had given him a little practice in the intricate mathematics of four legs on several stairs, but he still tripped twice before reaching the landing.

"All we do know," Wufei said, getting back to business, "is that Maxwell is gone, poison is in our drinks, and we have a threat from a group calling themselves Turris – The Tower – saying that what happened to Maxwell will happen to us."

Duo stumbled again in front of Heero's door. That was a very dangerous threat. If the Preventors staff couldn't find out what was in the poison or what it did, then the chances of getting it reversed were slim. Even if someone made the ridiculous leap that minus five pilots and plus five dogs meant something, they'd still be left not knowing how it had happened. As much as Duo disliked his situation, it would be a thousand times worse if his friends were trapped, too.

He gritted his teeth and stared at Heero's closed door. Great. Another one of these. At least he didn't have to unlock the thing.

"Turris," Trowa repeated, saying the word with more of a flourish than Wufei had. "Like the tarot card?"

"I don't know anything about such things," Wufei said. "I only know the language. Latin."

"Trowa?" Quatre asked, as if simply saying Trowa's name was tantamount to asking what he meant.

Duo tested the door with a paw, almost scared to leave bite marks on Heero's door, no matter the reason. Of course, using his paw or nose – whichever worked better – on the man's precious laptop would probably be that which tolled the death knell. But hell if he was going to let Heero use that hopeless tone from yesterday again.

"Yuy? Could I use your computer for a moment?"

Wufei's words made Duo want to groan. Bastards!

Heero wasn't responding to Wufei's request, but Duo heard a chair squeak back and then Heero's quiet footsteps heading for the stairs.

Okay. Okay. This was only a minor setback. All he really needed was paper and pencil. And patience. A lot of patience.

He turned as Heero reached the top of the stairs. The man still seemed to carry a grayish tint to his skin and clothes, though he'd put on the usual green shirt, and the edges were still fuzzy, dammit, but Duo was getting used to the different eyesight. He just wished he could see every color – could see Heero as he'd been, instead of just those cobalt eyes being the same. Like a ghoul. Pale. An imitation of the original.

Heero paused before Duo and looked at him. At his own eyes? Was Heero looking at the color of the dog's eyes and thinking about Duo? Though it was difficult to see emotion with an almost colorless, somewhat fuzzy gaze, he could still see Heero's fingers shake and his shoulders tense. Yes, he was definitely thinking about his partner. Duo had always thought he'd managed to make a friendly connection with Heero, or else the man would never have agreed to their partnership. He'd just never thought that his disappearance would affect Heero's control so much.

Finally Heero walked past him, easily opening the door and grabbing his laptop from his desk inside.

Stupid opposable thumbs.

Duo waited for Heero, for some reason fearing leaving the man alone. Heero closed the bedroom door behind him and went back down the stairs, Duo trailing at his heels until he'd returned to the kitchen.

"Thank you, Yuy."

Heero simply grunted and booted up the machine.

Duo left once more and looked around. Okay. The newest hunt was on. Where could he find paper? There were plenty of places in Duo's house – he left some out for whenever he felt he needed to remember something – but Heero was far more organized. Duo wouldn't be surprised if the man made grocery lists on his damn laptop – or worse, in his head.

"Here," Wufei said, and Duo sniffed around, wondering if he could just __smell__ paper nearby. If paper had a smell. "'Turris.' It has different meanings depending on which type of tarot deck it comes from, but each means an imbalance in one's life, that something is going to change. Your theory seems plausible, Barton."

"Why, thank you, Chang," Trowa said, his very voice grinning. Apparently Wufei's usual needs-to-know-everything attitude was amusing.

Wait. Heero had to have a printer, right? That realization hit like a brick to the brain. Heero most definitely had a printer somewhere. And where there was a printer, there was computer paper. Quickly he searched the living room. Nothing. The tiny den turned office, in a small alcove between the kitchen and living room, the door leading from the living room and the lobby.

His face split into a doggie grin. There.

He walked into the room, toward the desk facing the door leading in and the printer sitting on a mini-table behind it.

"Can anyone think what that drug could be?" Wufei asked.

Duo stared at the printer for a bit. Of course Heero had to have the three-in-one cordless. Always a show-off with his machines. Well, at least he could see the paper. The only problem was that he could only get a piece with either a paw or his teeth. Neither had any promise of not making a mess – or a ruckus. And if he made too much noise, Heero would come out and stop his attempts cold. Again.

"What was it called again?" Quatre asked, but before anyone could answer, he said, "no, that won't help. If it could be identified, we would know what it could do."

They sat and conjectured for a while, and Duo managed to grab a small chunk of the paper with his teeth and drag them onto the floor. The spread like white wildfire, but the noise was minimal. He waited a moment anyway, just to be sure no one came after him, then woofed out a sigh.

Next: pencil. Or pen. He wasn't particular at the moment.

Well, he was in the office, at least. There had to be a pen or pencil somewhere. Hopefully. Unless Heero really did use his laptop and nothing else.

"The real question," Wufei said, his voice unusually low and somber, ending the conversations immediately, “is what has become of Maxwell."

Duo looked up at that, even though everyone was far from his sight. Despite the distance, he could feel the tension coiling out from the kitchen. A part of him wanted to go out there, to stand by Heero. Remembering last night made it hard to stay where he was. But going out there would only waste time. He had to find a pen and write his message. That would help Heero far more than anything else.

"We have to find this 'Turris' group," Heero said finally. Duo grabbed the top right drawer of Heero's desk and pulled, tugging with his jaw and hopping back. Before he understood the impulse, he was growling. When he had the drawer open enough, he peered inside. Staples, paper clips, index cards. Post-It Notes. It looked like a freaking teacher's desk, yet there were no writing utensils. Damn thing was neat as a pin, though. Just like Heero to be OCD about his desk. Back at Preventors, Duo's desk looked like a small bomb had gone off on it.

The guys were back to planning, this time accompanied by the familiar sound of a keyboard. The steady speed sounded like Heero. Duo listened in long enough to find out that the other three were talking amongst themselves. Oh, God. And the breakdown of the group began.

Okay. If the writing utensils weren't in the top right drawer, then they had to be in the middle drawer. Unless Heero had the weirdest organizational patterns ever. Which wouldn't be surprising at all.

"Here," Heero said suddenly, just as Duo bit around the middle drawer's handle and yanked. Dammit, he was growling again. "This could be it. A private forum discussing the eminent destruction of the World Nation – they refer to it as the Babel Tower."

Chairs scooted back, short footsteps padded across the kitchen floor. Duo listened as best he could as he finished opening the drawer and peered inside. "'Eternal peace is God's work, work that was banished when the last tower fell,'" Chang said, obviously reading from the page. "That's not even Biblically accurate."

"They don't want to spread truth," Quatre said then, "they simply want to glorify their actions. Why not use the Bible to do so? Many others have done the same and succeeded."

There! A pen! Oh, beautiful, beautiful pen. Duo scowled. With a lid on it. Shit. Hadn't thought of that.

Stupid opposable thumbs!

But Duo couldn't see anything that __didn't__ have a lid, so he grabbed the first one up and pawed at the lid with the pen still in his mouth. If he could aim one claw for the bottom of the lid, then he just might be able to get the damn thing off.

"I don't care about their reasons," Heero snapped, and the suddenness of it had that tension coiling in the air. "I want to know where they are."

"I doubt that information will be waiting – Heero, you're being hacked."

"I know that, Trowa."

Duo scratched at the pen so much he thought he was going to break it, but finally the lid popped off and ricocheted off the desk with a loud thwok. Duo stilled, the pen still clenched carefully between his teeth, but no one came to investigate. Maybe the attempting hacker had distracted them. Hopefully.

"There. I stopped him." Heero clacked a bit more furiously on the keyboard, then, "looks like the server he used is nearby. Definitely in the city."

"Turris should be nearby," Wufei said. "They’d have to be, in order to keep tabs on us."

"Them knowing we're searching for them may make them feel like they need to hurry," Quatre said. Someone started moving back and forth in the kitchen. Pacing. It had to be Quatre, then. Duo hurried over to the papers on the floor. They were going to start coming to the wrong conclusion again. They were going to think time was running out for Duo, when in reality he was in relative safety. They might rush into something unnecessarily. And rushing in meant taking chances. That was very bad.

"Moreover, somebody knows someone was on that forum without permission," Wufei said. There was a definite tone of gotta-hurry. Duo struggled to put the pen to paper and snarled. He couldn't see past his stupid muzzle. Okay. A 'D' was a straight line down, then a curved line over. Curved lines would be hard, but he would just have to find a way to do it.

"We have to find out where in the city the faction is, and then we can move from there," Trowa said; Quatre still paced. Heero was pounding on the keyboard so hard he just might break the thing. "We'll have to run in fairly quickly if they don't make a move on us, but if Duo's still alive, I can't see why they would kill him off just because we're getting too close. If they have him, they need him."

Finally Heero seemed to calm down, his fingers merely tapping the keys now. "Trowa's right," he said, and the way the words were sighed out told Duo Heero was relieved, "they wouldn't kill him yet. If... if Duo's alive," he pushed, "then they need him alive, for whatever reason. They may come after us more overtly now, however."

"Good," Quatre said. His vehemence probably shocked everyone into silence. "No more sneaking around. We'll find them and take back Duo."

Trust Qat to refuse to accept Duo's possible death.

"We'll have to find someplace to go," Trowa said. "Somewhere out of the way, where no one else we know could be harmed. And we'll have to move fast to make sure they __stay__ unharmed."

Duo's name was not one conducive to a dog's writing ability. So many damn curves, and without the ability to see what in hell he was doing, he was pretty sure his message was just an unintelligible mess. Still. His name was done, and he was struggling with the equal sign as the others planned out where they were going to go. It had to be nearby but secluded, and though they had to be familiar with the area, they couldn't have any connection with the place. He finished the first horizontal line while they brainstormed, completed the second as they listed off the pros and cons of each. A rented house – paid for in cash by Quatre – or a house Heero had considered once in an area Trowa had once worked near. Maybe just a hotel? Or one of Qat's stowaways?

Dammit, he had to write another 'D.'

"For now," Heero said, "we should eat." A short click said Heero had closed his laptop. Bad. Bad! He was running out of time! "Where has that dog gone?"

"He has been rather quiet," Wufei said.

His 'O' wobbled then. No more time. He had to scribble the 'G' and hope for the best.

Footsteps came from the kitchen and headed through the living room. "Shinigami?"

Duo stepped back and dropped the pen, but he couldn't tell if his writing was legible or not. Oh, please, please let Heero be able to read it. He considered carrying it, but didn't know if that would be the best option. The footsteps started for the den.

The doorbell rang.

Duo almost collapsed in relief, so glad to be given another moment that he actually forgot about the danger Heero and the others were facing. His head screwed back on straight when a new tension coated the air. Chairs scooted back and guns were pulled from holsters – and from one body, an article of clothing. That one had to be Quatre.

Heero clicked off the safety as Duo stepped out of the den and headed to Heero's side.

Heero snapped open the door just as Duo reached his heels, but instead of raising his gun, Heero froze cold.

Uh, was that the scent of a garden on the other side of that door?

"Heero."

Holy shit. Duo felt the urge to snarl, then the equally strong urge to go hide under something. And yes, that was definitely a plethora of flowers he was smelling. Of course. Why wasn't he surprised?

"Relena."

Did they have to do that every single freaking time?

"May I come in?"

Always so freaking polite. Heero wordlessly stepped aside, giving the girl a small arm sweep, like a man offering entrance for a queen.

Ex-Queen.

"Oh! What a cute dog!" And right freaking there, as Heero closed the door, she bent down and held out a hand to Duo's face. And her hat, possibly the most clichéd use of camouflage ever, fell right over, spilling her hair everywhere. "Hi, there!" And now her voice was even more high-pitched. "What's his name, Heero?"

Why did he want to go forward and sniff that stupid hand? He knew flowers when he smelled them! Well, not __which__ flowers, of course, geez, he was a guy! But flowers were flowers, and that girl positively reeked of them.

Crap. He was sniffing, anyway.

"He responds to Shinigami. We believe he may be Duo's..." Heero took a deep, shallow breath. "We cannot be certain, however."

Oh, her scent changed. Now she was sad. Her brows were puckered and everything. "I heard about you friend, Heero." She gave Duo one quick rub and then stood. "That's actually why I'm here."

Suddenly Heero was all business. "You know what's happened to Duo?"

"Word reached me that he'd disappeared. I–"

"From where?"

Relena stood then. "It was a secret?" She cleared her throat. "Robert Morris. Head of technological security for the Darlian estate. I believe I have his card." Relena pulled a long-strapped purse from her side and unzipped it. "I came over as soon as I could escape the Wizard of Oz and his Wicked Witch." She pulled something out, something that smelled like leather, and a small sound of happiness said she'd successfully found said card. "Duo's the one you were always with before, right? During the war? Are you okay?"

Duo expected Heero to blow her off, to act tough and say that people died all the time. But all he did was quietly and simply say, "no."

Duo whined.

Relena reached for Duo and touched his head. "You both miss him, don't you? But I'm certain Duo's all right. He's your partner, isn't he? And he was a Gundam pilot. I'm sure he'll make it through this just fine." And now Relena was laying a hand on Heero's arm, right on his bicep. It was disturbingly difficult to make sure he didn't growl.

Heero only nodded and stepped back. "With Duo's disappearance, the threats to our safety are now being taken more seriously than ever. You shouldn't be here."

"Of course not," she said, her tone light. "I should be locked in the highest room of the tallest tower, right? Perhaps waiting for a handsome prince?" She leaned onto Heero then in a way that innocent princesses shouldn't even know about. "The position for that part is still open, you know." Her lips were about an inch from Heero's.

Now the only reason Duo didn't growl was because his jaw was hanging. He thought he felt his tail sneaking dangerously close to between his legs.

But all Heero did was grab Relena's arms and push her back. "Relena, my answer still stands. It always will."

She sighed and dropped the subject, and Duo distinctly heard the sound of gasps and muffled laughter. It seemed they guys had no problem eavesdropping, either. “I figured as much," Relena said, pouting slightly. "But that's okay. I came to offer help, not to try to sway you over to me. I'm not a warrior." Relena gave Duo another pet, oblivious to his consternation, and walked across the room to spread her arms wide. When she turned back to Heero, her blond hair whooshed around her like a shampoo commercial. "Rejoice, Heero! I am giving you the opportunity to lead my men!"

Duo blinked, but Heero only rolled his eyes and motioned for Relena to come back. She didn't move, but planted her hands on her hips and grinned. "Relena, I already told you. I don't want that job."

Relena waved his answer off. "Yes, yes, proximity to people, larger plan, yadda yadda. That's not what I'm talking about."

Was this the same Relena who had ridden in a pink limousine during the war? The princess – the __Queen__? She sounded like an average girl now, almost like Hilde.

Pod people. It was a case of pod people, pure and simple.

The only thing he really knew was that Heero and Relena had met before. Probably extensively.

"Then what __do__ you mean?" Heero asked, coming up beside Relena and looking out the window beside him.

The window. Oh, shit, the window. Duo trotted back to the door, to safety, and turned back. Both of them needed to get away from the window. Just in case.

"I mean," Relena said, "that I have men sitting around with nothing to do. You can set them to work."

Neither of them were leaving the window, and Duo's fear was rising. Instinct told him to move. He could hear Heero's heart beating fast, could hear his breathing, quick and shallow. He felt it, too.

Duo rushed back to Relena and tugged on her skirt, practically swallowing the scent of flowers. All she did was lean over to pet him again.

He heard the bang just before the window crashed and cracked and the bullet lodged thick into plaster.

Heero had Relena on the floor before Duo could do more than release her skirt. Gunpowder and smoke and blood entered his nostrils. There. He turned his head to the smell, past the half-broken window and into the front yard. Heero was yelling at Relena, telling her to stay down, and Quatre was shouting from the kitchen, asking for Heero's and Relena's statuses.

Duo barked and ran through to the kitchen, trusting Heero to stay with Relena.

Everyone had their guns out again, so at least they were ready. Duo scrabbled against the back door and turned to the others. Trowa was the first to understand, stopping Wufei when he would have scolded Duo. "You'll lead," Trowa said, moving to the door. "Heero!" he called out. "Heading out by northeast, Shini lead. You're on protection duty."

"Copy that," Heero replied. His voice was terse.

"We're fine!" Relena said then, her voice slightly muffled. "Just go!"

"Find them, boy," Trowa said, and finally he opened the door for Duo.

He raced out, hunkering along the back and sniffing the air, hoping their enemies weren't smart enough to hide downwind. Hoping that the one miss meant they were already on the run. Hoping he wouldn't lead anyone into too much danger, that Heero would be all right alone with Relena. For now, he could still smell the tiny path of smoke, almost like a fishing line that would lead to the rod and the man holding it. If the shooter was smart, he'd be cutting bait right about now.

The gunshot hadn't completely broken Heero's window, and it hadn't gone wild once inside, but Duo hadn't done more than glance at the wall, and his eyes weren't good enough as a dog to see a small hole in a wall from over a meter away. Maybe a rifle shot, but he couldn't be sure. No estimate for distance, then.

It wasn't until he was crossing the street that he noticed the smell of blood still close to his nose. He'd been cut by something. Probably from glass after the window had been broken. He searched for the pain now that he knew, and through the haze of adrenaline he could feel a sharp something in his back leg, on the left. It wasn't slowing him down any, so it wasn't anything serious. He ignored it and kept running.

It was strange. He'd never followed a scent trail before. He'd never really considered what it would be like, especially not in the adrenaline rush of battle. There were so __many__ smells, even those of smoke – the gunpowder of each of his friends' guns, the smoke from a barbecue that had to have been done at least a week ago. Cigarette smoke, for crying out loud, from someone who'd lit up while grabbing their mail or walking their dog – definitely walking a dog. Compared to all those, the trail was small, infinitesimally so. Worse, the other scents distracted him – was that what paint smelled like now? Gross! Was that wood? So many varieties! Flowers, grass, metal, other dogs – ooh, boy, other dogs – all of it rolled together, jumbled in a big package of odors and smells and whoever owned this back yard needed to invest in pesticides.

The smell was high up now, so high Duo was sure he should be losing it. But it was still strong enough to follow, so long as he focused and ignored the enticing scent of whatever the hell animal had stopped to pee __there__. He actually found himself leaning down, trying to see if scent alone would help him identify the Animal Pisser, before hearing Wufei turn around and look behind them. That was right. He had to find whoever had shot for Relena and had messed up Heero's house. He had to make sure both were safe before he did something as stupid as chase after some rabbit or raccoon dumb enough to make its home on the outskirts of a city.

"You can do it," Quatre said quietly, and with Qat's support, Duo lifted his head again and searched once more for the scent. It was spreading through the air, leaving tiny pieces of the smell to scent the air around the origin. Duo did a quick mental equation and searched for the invisible thread. He was human, dammit! Why was he relying on scent alone?

Once he started using his damn head, it was easier to ignore the other scents and follow the one smell, alternating his equation as necessary until he found an old apartment building back behind a second row of houses, far enough away that one would have to be a damn good shooter.

"Good boy," Quatre said. Trowa patted his head quickly and went around to the back. There was a sign on the lawn warning of eminent renovations; Duo had passed it on his way toward the building. "Now stay. Stay, boy." Qat held out a hand in the military form for 'hold' and Duo sat, laughing silently. Wouldn't it be hilarious, teaching a dog military hand signals? Apparently Quatre thought that Duo was the type to do just that.

Duo strained his ears as he sat stupidly on the vacant lot, a part of him worried about being left in the open, concerned about the enemy watching. Would the shooter recognize him if they saw him? Or did they already know? Did they care? If they'd left something on Duo, either on the skin or under it, Une and her men would have found it. So were they just watching him? Leaving him to his doggy fate? __Was__ there a possible antidote?

No. No, he couldn't consider the idea of being a dog forever. Had his life been shortened? Was he aging more rapidly now? Would more times like earlier happen, when he forgot his human abilities for his canine ones? Would he lose himself completely?

Okay. He couldn't think about any of that, either.

They took forever and a day coming back, and when they did, it was with a cell phone Duo hadn't even noticed Wufei'd had in his palm, as he informed Une the latest happenings, snapped his phone shut, and called what sounded like '411.' He asked for the owner of Westcliff Apartments as Quatre bent down to Duo and pet him. "Good job, boy." He turned to Trowa. "They left enough there. Maybe we'll get lucky."

But Trowa was already shaking his head. "We'll know the type of gun, maybe the person's sex and hair color. If we're extremely lucky, we'll learn a name. But they won't return home. They may not ever appear again. And they would have stayed low, inconspicuous, almost unknown to their neighbors – not hard in this city, anyway. We'll hit a dead end." Trowa's shoulders were slumped, his finger on the trigger lax. Duo didn't think he'd ever seen his tallest friend look so confused and lost. He found himself whining again before he could stop it.

"Don't listen to him, Shinigami," Qat cooed, actually covering Duo's ears and glaring at Trowa. "We'll find Duo. We have the next step. It’s only a matter of time."

Wufei came up then, snapping the phone closed once more. "We must be prepared to accept the fact that Maxwell may already be dead, if not tortured." The tension in Quatre and Trowa rose, but Wufei continued before either of them could speak. "I am not fond of the idea, but I do not want to live with false hope, either. Yuy is unable to hear these words, but I feel it necessary to speak them, nonetheless."

Duo whined again. They needed to get back to the house. If they could just see the note he'd made, then all of this could be taken care of. They wouldn't have to worry about this shit anymore. Hell, maybe Heero and Relena had already stumbled upon it.

Wufei stood there, unmoving, his phone loose in his hand as he watched Quatre and Trowa, waiting for their reactions. Neither seemed ready to speak. They weren't able to disclaim Wufei's words, but they didn't seem willing to accept them, either. It was weird. They'd dodged around it all this time, but now that the words were out, they were reacting differently. Quatre's hand, for instance, seemed to be moving automatically, running from Duo's head to his lower back and repeating the process over and over, his body stiff by Duo's side. Still the blond said nothing.

"I understand what you're saying," Trowa said, straightening his back and shoulders. Quatre made a strangled sound in the back of his throat, close enough to Duo's ears to seem loud. "Rationally, logically, I understand."

He should; he'd been the one to bring it up to Heero, after all.

"Trowa–" Quatre started.

" _ _But,"__ Trowa stressed, "I believe Heero is right. I will not accept Duo is dead until I see it with my own eyes." Trowa looked around the lot one last time before holstering his gun. "I may not have ever been particularly close to Duo during the war, but even I felt as if something had been lifted from my shoulders when he came. Even I would call him a trusted friend." He clicked his finger by his side, a sign Duo took to mean he should follow. "I will not give up on him."

"Neither will I," Quatre said, speaking up at last, and he pulled himself up from beside Duo and stood to Trowa's left. "I know you don't mean to sound cruel, Wufei, but I can't imagine losing Duo. I don't want to. And I don't think you do, either."

Duo looked back as Quatre headed out with Trowa, and though he felt warmed to his toes, he also felt a stab of fear. Wufei was standing alone, looking lost. Hurt. Duo winced and trotted back to Wufei's side, sitting in front of him. Duo watched Wufei as he stared at Quatre's and Trowa's backs. Wufei looked down at his gun, holstered by his side, just gazing at it for a time.

Duo whined and lifted a paw, wishing more than anything that there was something he could do, wishing he could speak. The chain of friendship was falling apart right in front of him, and here he was stupidly trying to shake.

Wufei took a deep breath and called someone through speed dial. "Yuy?" He paused. Duo whined again, afraid Wufei was going to just say good-bye and walk away. "No, it's an all-clear. There was nothing. The shooter escaped." Another pause, and this time Wufei looked at Duo. "Yes, Shinigami is safe. He's with me." Duo lifted his paw again, cocked his head. Wufei gave him a small little smile. It made Duo whine again. "No, Barton and Winner went on ahead. Yes, we're on our way." Wufei rolled his eyes then, but Duo didn't even think to listen to the sure sounds of Heero's voice. It was enough to know that Heero's voice didn't sound anything but fine – which was practically all he could hear, with Heero's voice as soft as it was. "We'll be careful, Yuy." And before Heero could say anything more, Wufei hung up.

Duo whined one more time, putting his paw down and turning the way Quatre and Trowa had gone before turning back to Wufei.

"I know." Wufei reached down and scratched behind Duo's ear. The sensation was enough to make Duo's tongue loll. "You truly are like your master, aren't you?" Wufei snapped his fingers and started following the trail Qat and Tro had made. "I do not want to lose Maxwell, either," he said then, his eyes focused straight ahead, and Duo found himself tripping over his feet for the first time since he woke up on his floor. Were people just more open with dogs or something? "But I do not want to hold out hope and then be wrong. I have felt that pain before."

Duo whined and awkwardly rubbed his cheek against Wufei's leg. He almost fell over for the trouble.

He couldn't see Wufei's reaction all that well from where he stood by the man's side, but he could smell a calmer feeling coming from him. "I know," he said again. "I will not leave these men. Maxwell would want us to work together. The fool." Wufei mumbled the last part lowly, but Duo still caught it. He would get Wufei back for that one someday.

They'd hardly made it to the empty lot's street when Wufei's phone vibrated. He answered the call without breaking stride. "Yuy?"

Heero's voice came in much clearer to Duo's ears now, as Heero no longer kept his volume low for safety. "We're leaving the house," Heero said, his voice once more holding that tinny quality through the phone's speaker. "Get to your car and take Shinigami with you. Relena's found a place for us to stay. I'm taking her back to Merquise." There was a loud protest on the other line, but both Wufei and Heero ignored it.

"Understood. We'll be there in five." Wufei clicked his phone closed and started walking a bit faster. There was a tight clench forming in Duo's gut, one that grew until he was having difficulty breathing. Dammit, he was panting. Open-mouthed panting.

Heero said they were leaving the house behind – it had been compromised, after all. Heero had called Duo 'Shinigami.' Heero had not found Duo's note, and now he __would__ not find Duo's note. They were all going to one building, where anyone at any time could see him trying to leave a message and could stop him cold. Worse, with everyone in danger, the battle to survive would provide more than enough distraction that even if he put the message in neon lights, they might overlook it because of a gunfight or something.

How in the hell was he going to tell them what had happened to him?


	4. A Case of the Tail Wagging the Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duo gets his message across.

They arrived soon enough, Duo's back leg cramping around the glass in the muscle, almost making him fall to the ground when he jumped from the car they’d ridden in for the past quarter hour.

"Wufei." Heero walked out of whatever housing structure they'd arrived at – good Lord, more freaking flowers! – and came to stand beside Chang as he closed the back door behind Duo. "Are you all right?"

Wufei grimaced. Apparently, Duo thought, pretty put-out with the matter, Qat and Tro hadn't kept their mouths shut. "I apologize," Wufei said. He bowed his head.

"Chang." Wufei lifted his head. Heero didn't seem to be giving out any verbal cues, but Duo relaxed at his scent. "That's not what I asked."

Wufei tilted his head in acceptance. "I am fine. Thank you."

Heero nodded, then zeroed in on Duo. His brow furrowed. "Is he hurt?"

Wufei frowned and looked down at Duo, too. Duo had hidden the pain on the ride over, since proper care couldn't be given until they reached the 'safehouse,' anyway. Now he whine-barked and turned to Wufei. He should have thought about Heero's propensity for overreacting. He might've gotten Wufei in trouble.

But Wufei just pinched the bridge of his nose. " _ _Exactly__ like his master."

Heero grinned.

Duo looked back and forth between the two of them. Heero came to him and held Duo's head in his two hands. Heero's eyes were close enough, now that he was kneeling, to take over Duo's vision, almost to the point where he could trick himself into believing he could see the proper color in that skin. Could trick himself into believing that things would become normal again.

"Good boy," Heero murmured then, and those hands rubbed against his cheeks. " _ _Good__ boy."

Then they were moving inside, Heero snapping his finger for Duo to come to him. As soon as the door closed safely behind them, Heero and Wufei bent to inspect Duo to find what was wrong. However in the hell they'd known just from him standing there, Duo couldn’t guess. He could barely see an ornate fireplace with a flat-screen television hanging overtop and a beige leather couch with a coffee table in front of it before Heero and Wufei crowded his vision to search his fur.

It didn't take long, and Wufei hissed when he found the wound. "Yuy."

Heero headed around Duo to look at the injury just as Qat walked in, a cup of tea in his hand. "What's happened?" Qat asked, and without hesitation he went to stand beside Wufei. Duo watched them and smelled a tension in Wufei leave. Thank goodness.

"He's injured," Heero said, then, "Quatre, go and get some gauze and water. And get Trowa. He'll know more about how to care for animals than me."

Quatre plopped his tea on the coffee table and rushed to do as told.

"I apologize, Yuy," Wufei said then. "I should have seen this."

Duo whined, worried, but Heero just chuckled and said, "I thought we agreed that this dog is exactly like his owner?"

Wufei snorted slightly. "Yes. I suppose we did."

Were they insulting him?

Trowa entered the front room then, dodging around a chair Duo had missed, one that matched the couch, and crouching in front of Duo's injured leg. "Ouch. This looks pretty deep. How long has he had it?"

Heero frowned, and it was Wufei who finally spoke. "He hasn't been around any broken glass since he was at Yuy's."

Trowa hissed, and then Heero was suddenly tense. "Is it too late? Is it permanent now?"

"Has he been limping?" Trowa asked, and Duo wanted to sigh. How could dogs stand constantly being talked around?

"No," Wufei said. Quatre came in then, bearing a first-aid kit, a water bottle, and a towel. Duo took a deep breath as Trowa pointed Quatre over to the middle of the room and told him to move the coffee table. This was going to hurt. Like a bitch.

Trowa led Duo over once the middle of the room was clear and had him lay down on his side, his injured leg on top, his uninjured leg curled underneath. Duo lay his head on the ground and hell if a whimper didn't escape his mouth despite his best efforts. Shit, this was gonna hurt.

"I know," Trowa cooed. Duo had never understood cooing before; oh, he'd learned about tone and vocal indicators, but why coo? Why wasn't one's normal voice enough? But now he found himself understanding, felt his muscles relax a bit as Trowa murmured softly to him.

Of course Trowa felt the change, and of course Trowa pulled once he did. Duo bit his teeth together and realized he'd started growling. At least he didn't howl. The pain was immediate, as the glass cut more flesh on the way out and his blood found a new path and started running down his leg. Qat was there, though, using the water to rinse the wound clean and dab away the blood, and then Trowa was inspecting the wound for more shards of glass. His leg was pronounced otherwise clean, and after a short question on alcohol – one Trowa renounced and instead had Quatre simply swab peroxide around the wound (which burned and stung like hell) – he was wrapped and pet and told what a good, brave boy he was. He wondered if this was what kids with parents felt like when they were bandaged up after they fell. All warm and tingly inside, even as the pain still thrummed through every heartbeat.

Then Wufei was off to look around the house and familiarize himself with it, and Quatre kissed the top of Duo's head – weird, people did weird stuff with animals! – and left, presumably to the kitchen, since Duo distinctly heard the sound of pans banging together. Both Heero and Trowa looked up then, and with an apologetic look Duo's way, Trowa ran off to save whatever meal Quatre planned on trying to cook.

Heero was the one to stay by Duo's side, and belatedly Duo realized that Heero had been lightly stroking his muzzle the entire time, wordlessly offering comfort. Maybe he'd been wrong to assume Heero didn't want any animals. Maybe Heero in fact loved animals and simply couldn't afford – well, pfft he couldn't afford one with his salary – but maybe the constant danger to his health made him hesitate. Duo wished he could ask. Wished he could help. Wished, so much, that he wasn't a dog, that the warm hand on his face was aware of what it was touching, that the blood running through his veins was that of a human, one with needs–

Oh. __Oh!__

Duo stood without thinking, his tail thwapping against the nearby chair. Blood! DNA! Was his blood changed, or was it the drug? Of course no one would think to do a DNA test on him – he was a freaking dog! But if they __did__...

But why would they? He thought about that and almost missed how his tail stopped wagging. He might as well just find another way to prove he was the dog than go through the trouble to inform them to test his DNA and __maybe__ find Duo's genes in among all the doggy stuff. He laid back down and watched Heero watch him. His partner moved to his side then and checked his injured leg, looking it over to see if Duo's reckless outburst had messed up all of Tro's hard work. Heero's fingers were gentle as he searched.

"Heero! Any preference for vegetables?" Quatre called from the kitchen. Duo heard water bubbling, heard Trowa chuckle and heard a rustle of clothing. He cocked his head.

"No!" Heero said, and if Duo were human, he would have glared at Heero and said, "corn," because Heero hated any vegetable other than corn. He couldn't do that as a dog.

"Okay! Wufei?"

"Beets, if available!"

Heero winced.

Duo leaned around and nuzzled Heero's shoulder, the only thing he could do. He had to let them know. No matter what, he had to find a way to let the guys know who he was, and he __had__ to become human again, if only so he could play translator for this fool.

Besides, it was just too painful to have Heero be so open to a dog.

Dinner time eventually came then, and Heero had Duo stay where he lay, only letting him up when he had to go to the bathroom. Duo listened in to the dinner conversation and learned that everyone would be taking shifts that night. Any chance of sending a message would be a thousand times more difficult, but Heero didn't say anything about putting the dog in the bathroom, and Duo hoped that meant he'd be free to roam.

* * *

When nighttime came, Heero lifted Duo into his arms and hefted him past the kitchen to the back of the house and into one of four bedrooms. He was laid on the rug and told to stay while Heero went to the bathroom.

The room smelled like the outdoors and lemon-scented cleaner. Duo took a look around from where he lay on the floor and could barely see what may have been a back door. Easy escape, but easy access. Duo saw the door leading to the hall left open and knew it had been done on purpose. If he remembered correctly, Wufei was taking the first watch, Heero was last.

Duo listened as Heero flushed the toilet and washed his hands, then closed his eyes. He really was tired, and his leg really, really hurt. He'd had to bite down whimpers a few times. Still, he had to leave a message for Heero. He had to find a way to let them know...

His head slid down to the floor. At least he had carpet to lie down on now. It actually felt pretty comfortable.

Heero walked in then and chuckled. "Guess you're tired, hm? It really was a lot of excitement, wasn't it?" Duo listened to Heero's footfalls and realized that Heero was taking off his shoes but leaving his clothes on. He carefully kept his eyes closed. Then Heero came over to him, bent down, and pet him. "Good boy. Thank you for bringing Wufei back."

Duo blinked his eyes open and yawned despite himself. Heero chuckled again, but Duo smelled sorrow on Heero's skin. "I miss him," Heero said suddenly, like he was divulging a dark secret, and Duo felt Heero's hand tense on his back. "I don't know what to do," Heero whispered. "Who do I fight?"

Duo whined and nuzzled Heero's arm, the same one Relena had touched earlier. Maybe it was because he was a dog, but Heero didn't pull away. Instead he leaned awkwardly forward, bending his back and wrapping his arms around Duo, running his fingers through Duo's fur and rubbing his cheek against Duo's muzzle. "I want him back." Those arms nearly bruised his rib cage. "Please, God, bring him back to me."

* * *

Once Heero was asleep, the hunt was on.

Duo carefully jumped down from the bed, still surprised and disturbed that Heero had let him up to begin with, had let Duo settle down by his side and had pet Duo until finally he’d closed his eyes, taken a deep breath, and forced himself to sleep. Once down, he took a moment to wait, but Heero didn't wake and another shiver of unease slipped down Duo's doggy spine. Heero never slept through anything. But then, Duo hadn't ever seen him practically cry into a dog's fur before, either.

Duo heard Wufei coming and quickly laid down injured leg up. The man hardly looked in, just sticking his head through the door and staring first at Heero, then Duo. Duo could see him rather clearly despite the darkness, and even without his scent could see Wufei's emotions. It seemed that two groups of friendship were forming, with Trowa and Quatre sticking together on one end and Heero and Wufei sticking together on the other. It was wide enough to split apart a Preventors partnership as strong as Wufei's and Trowa's, but at least no one was alone.

Yet.

Then Wufei was back off down the hall, and Duo was on his feet. One last look to Heero showed the man had yet to move from the position he'd fallen asleep in. Duo would go about leaving a message as quickly as possible, but he had to admit that leaving this message was far more important than staying by Heero's side. Even if seeing Heero hurting and alone bruised something inside of him.

He sneaked out of the room and bypassed Wufei as he double-checked Trowa's room, using all his skills from his human training, testing them trial-by-fire style in his canine body. At least he had such good dark vision, and more, such acute hearing capacity that he was probably being even quieter than usual. That was most likely what got him to the living room without being caught.

He needed to work quickly, needed to get the job done before he got caught, and he needed to find out what he __could__ do pretty much immediately, but playing the good dog had made it impossible to check what was available for his efforts. He had no idea what all was available to him. One quick search showed no paper, no pen. But he did find a marker and dammit, there were walls – Relena would have to deal.

Wufei was coming back from the bedrooms, stopping in the kitchen and listening for sounds. Duo held still until he heard Wufei start moving again and darted forward to grab the marker. He could smell the sharp tang, taste it on his tongue, and realized it was a permanent marker. Shit. __Shit__ , that tasted bad.

He huddled back in the corner and shadowed himself as best he could. If Wufei caught him with the marker, he was screwed.

But Wufei was an ex-Gundam pilot, not a shitty Oz guard, and Wufei caught him in the corner and almost jumped in surprise. Duo rolled the marker into his mouth and carefully closed his teeth on it to keep it from sliding down his throat.

Wufei came up to him and tsked, but Duo caught the man's tension and ended up tensing, himself. "Walking on your leg, sneaking past the guard... you are most certainly Maxwell's dog, aren't you?" He sighed and ruffled Duo's head. It took an effort not to pant in glee. "Come on. I have to check this room and the closet, then we can take you back to Yuy. And you'll __stay__." Wufei walked away to check the windows and door and closet, then watched the ceiling and listened once again for strange noises. Duo waited through it all, the taste of the ink pooling on his tongue like oil. He wanted to gag.

"All right," Wufei said finally, "let's go back." And he patted his leg and walked Duo back to Heero's room.

Heero still slept on, though a small smell of sweat was on his brow. Duo rubbed his head against Wufei's leg and went to Heero's side, sniffing something he couldn't identify. But he did know a sleeping person shouldn't be so stiff.

"Stay," Wufei said lowly. They both stilled as Heero turned over. Only when Heero calmed did Wufei walk away again.

Duo spat out the pen and shuddered, finding an urge to rub his tongue against the damn carpet to get rid of the taste. And he had to get that cap off! He'd be tasting it a thousand times worse than with the cap on. Shit. Shit, that was gonna be nasty!

Heero huffed out a short breath and opened his eyes, turning them to Duo. "Went out for a stroll?" Heero said, but his voice was sad.

Duo froze for a moment. Had Heero heard him spit out the marker? Had Heero been awake when he'd left the bed? Was Heero upset that he'd left? Shit. Now he felt guilty for doing something he had to do.

He ignored the burning of his back leg and leaned up on the bed to lick Heero's cheek. The man really had been sweating.

Heero choked out a surprised laugh and held Duo up more by instinct than anything else. "Idiot dog," he said, his voice hardly above a whisper yet easy to hear, "you're standing on your injured leg again!"

Duo found himself panting in Heero's face and stopped. He had to get Heero back to sleep, but he couldn't get on the bed just to jump down and wake him up all over again. But if he didn't get the damn message written __that night__ , it would be too late.

He should've taken a longer nap on the way to the safehouse.

He resigned himself to the fact that he couldn't leave Heero alone in this situation, even if it was necessary, and so climbed back up into Heero's bed, gaining Heero's help with his bad leg as soon as Heero understood his intention. And even though it brought a strange pain to his chest, he let Heero curl around him in a clearly protective stance and watched over Heero as he slipped back into sleep. Heero really was a beautiful creature, even more so when he slept. That hair of his tangled on the pillow; that face rested complaisant, as it never did on the job. All those insane muscles loosened, even wrapped around Duo like a blanket as he was. And those lips.

He had to get the word out about his identity. He just had to. Stupid Heero was going to stupidly worry himself to death, would stupidly do something reckless... and maybe at some point he'd even reach Duo's level of stupidly and end up falling even more madly in love with someone who, at least for now, was outside of his own species.

* * *

Duo woke up when Heero got up to take over guard duty. He kept his head down as Heero thanked Quatre and got out of the bed. Heero hesitated in the doorway, and Duo heard the clench of the wood under Heero's fingers. He wanted to open his eyes, to show he was awake and make Heero smile. But he had to get the heck up. He had to leave a message before they went out after this Turris group. They'd spoken about it into the night, while they ate. Duo didn't have any more time to waste. They could take down Turris if they wanted, but Duo wouldn't be there and the antidote might.

He absolutely __had__ to let them know.

Heero went out to check Trowa's and Wufei's rooms, trailing Quatre to his, and once more Duo jumped from the bed, swallowing a wince as the bunched muscles in his bad leg stretched around the wound. The marker still sat where he left it, thank goodness, and with a sigh he grabbed up the back end and began once more to flap a paw against the lid over and over again.

He had to drop the thing when Heero returned to check on him, then again when Heero managed to repeat his rounds while Duo labored fruitlessly – stupid damn markers with stupid tight-ass lids – but finally he got the lid off and, after Heero made another round, took the pen and went to the far wall, hidden more in shadows than others thanks to the dresser near it. He had to make the shortest message possible, but it had to be understandable. He thought for a moment, but really nothing was better than what he'd done before. Still, he took the time this time around to carefully write the message as dawn approached. This time, dammit, they wouldn't miss the message he left for them.

And when the sun had just capped the horizon, Duo dropped the marker for the last time and read through a haze of sleepiness. Yes. This was easily read, easily understood. And if nothing else, it would start the questions. That was always a good thing.

Okay. Time to get Heero.

Duo headed out through the room to the hall and stopped outside of Wufei's room. That was definitely the sound of a phone on vibrate. Even as Duo watched, Wufei rolled over and grabbed his phone. He sat up and flipped it open, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Chang." He looked around until he saw Duo, and he smiled. One hand was held out for Duo, and he came at the soundless call. Wufei began a light trail-petting that made Duo's tongue loll. Too bad he had to go to the bathroom.

Duo was about to move to leave when Wufei's fingers suddenly stilled. Now Duo listened to the person on the other end of the phone. The voice was robotic, computerized. "You have seen our abilities. You have seen our conviction. Not you will see our fury. There will be no more hiding behind your false queen and her knights. Today, that world topples. Say your fruitless prayers for one of your precious Gundam knights. And at ten o'clock, say good-bye. Remember the Lord."

And with that, the voice left. Une's came through, instead. "Rather poorly spoken, but a dangerous threat, nonetheless."

Wufei gripped the phone so tightly Duo heard the metal clench together. He barked and walked to the door, no longer interested in getting Heero's attention first, just turning to Wufei and taking another step out of the room. Wufei, however, ignored him. "I'll inform the others. We'll stop them."

"Do you know where to look?"

"Yes. Heero worked online with Representative Darlian's team before I arrived. Turris is here in the city, operating through a restaurant franchise, of all things." Now that was news Duo hadn't heard. It had to have been during one of those silent times at the dinner table last night. The ones he'd thought were tense, nothing-to-say moments. He should've known better. "Yes. No, I'll tell him." Wufei listened as Une told him to call when it was time to strike, and then almost as one they hung up. Wufei stood and left the room, only remembering Duo's existence in time to snap his finger for Duo to heel. Duo tried to run in front of Wufei as the man rushed down the hall and almost fell.

"Wufei!"

Heero rushed past Wufei and stooped in front of Duo. "He shouldn't be on his feet this much!" Before Duo could back away, Heero had Duo up in his arms. He tried very hard not to flail. "Why the hell are you in such a rush?"

"Yuy."

Heero stopped fussing over Duo at Wufei's tone and frowned over Duo's back. "What's happened, Chang?"

But Wufei shook his head. "This should only be said once. We have no time to waste repeating information."

Now Heero was setting Duo on his side, deliberately leaving his injured leg up. "I'll get the rest of my weapons. You wake the others."

Yes! Good! Get your weapons, Heero, and see the message left for you.

Wufei nodded. "Understood. We'll get our own weapons and wait for you." The two parted down the hallway. Duo watched Wufei for a bit and was surprised at the furious line of his back, the sternness of his jaw. He wondered about the strength the man always possessed. Then his eyes roamed to Heero and watched him disappear inside his room. He should probably be there beside Heero when he learned. He could verify the message somehow, or could just help Heero work through it. Somehow.

A sharp thrum of pain threaded through his leg as he stood, scrabbling a bit against limbs that still felt a bit gangly. He heard Heero move to the bed and kneel to grab his things and frowned. Hadn't the far wall had a dresser hiding the corner from view? Could Heero even see it from his angle? He should. He was paranoid enough. But Heero's attention was on Wufei's information, on a threat beyond something lurking in a corner of a room he'd checked on just ten minutes ago. Maybe the idiot wouldn't be looking. Maybe Mr. Perfect Soldier would make a mistake.

Okay. Not bloody likely.

Still, Duo stepped toward Heero's room, intent on getting to Heero's side and making sure the man didn't... something.

"Shit!"

It was Trowa's voice, and the tone made Duo freeze. Trowa never seemed anything less than composed. What was the danger?

But the man didn't shout out enemy coordinates or pull his smelly gun from its holster. Instead he hurried down the hall to Duo's side and held him still. "Quatre! Can you come here?"

Of course the call was completely unnecessary; as soon as Trowa had cursed and run, everyone had come out with weapons drawn to see what the problem was.

Heero got to Duo's side just before Quatre, and while Trowa and Qat pushed Duo onto his side, Heero simply pet the top of his head, his hands still shaking in reaction to the adrenaline hit. "Stupid dog," Trowa muttered, instantly raising Duo's affront, "you're bleeding again! Why would you walk around on a painful leg? Just like your damn owner!"

Duo held his breath then as Trowa unwrapped the bandage and sent Quatre once more for supplies, but Heero didn't say anything. No mention that Duo __was__ his owner, or how Duo may be a different species, but stupid is stupid. Unease pricked his ears back.

In the end, it was Wufei who spoke, and only once Quatre came back with more gauze and a glass of water. Trowa soaked the wound, heedless of the mess forming on the carpet beneath Duo's leg. Now he __really__ had to go to the bathroom. "Since we're all here, I should tell you all of the forwarded message I received from Une." A quick look passed between Wufei and Heero, and suddenly both tensed. Wufei looked away and faced Quatre while Trowa focused on re-bandaging Duo's leg. "She'd received it via an open radio channel. It said that Maxwell would be killed at ten this morning."

Heero stood abruptly, even as Quatre gasped. Heero really hadn't seen Duo's message.

Trowa finished wrapping Duo's wound and taped it up with something Duo hadn't even noticed. Those long fingers were gentle, but almost jerking. Then Trowa stood, too. "Element of surprise be damned."

"We still need a plan," Quatre said, standing and pulling at his gun. The blond seemed antsy now, most likely feeling the emotional wash from all the tension. "We can decide while we move, and we have to be quick, but we can't afford to fail. Now more than ever." Quatre started herding everyone to the door. Heero silently followed them, hardly noticing Duo at all, even as he got right back up onto his injured foot. The jackass hadn't seen. Hell, he hadn't even gone back to get his duffel of clothes. The bastard probably hadn't had __time__ to check the room one last time. And now they were all heading to the door and would blow any potential chance of Duo getting the antidote he very desperately needed.

He barked.

They all stopped as one and turned to him, eyes almost wide.

"What do we do with him?" Wufei asked the others, but no one seemed to know.

Finally Heero came to Duo, knelt before him, and patted his head. "We'll drop him off at Preventors. We need to meet up with Une anyway, right?"

Duo had had enough. He ran back toward Heero's room and stared back at the surprised pilots before entering Heero's room and walking to the back corner. Like hell he was leaving without these fools knowing who he fucking was!

"Shinigami! Come!" Heero snapped his fingers and just stood waiting outside the room with the others. Duo felt a need to go to him and tamped down on it. Was it a dog's instinct to obey its owner? Was he turning into a dog?

"Yuy, we don't have time to deal with this dog."

"It's probably reacting to the tension," Trowa said. "If he truly lived in Duo's basement or something, the room would hold special meaning – a safety zone. That feeling may have been transferred to Heero's room. The two of them have seemed to share an instant bond."

Duo smelled something weird then, and his mind supplied him of an image of Heero in his kitchen, blushing.

"It... doesn't seem that way." Everyone paused at Quatre's words, and even Duo perked his ears. How now what?

Trowa moved then, but Duo didn't quite understand the sounds he was hearing to be able to categorize said movement accurately. "Quatre? Are you telling us you can sense the dog?"

Duo could smell the resulting blush there, too, the smell echoing the one from before. "I... It's weird. Like it's kind of like Duo, only not. You know? They say animals take on the qualities of their owners..."

Trowa hummed, one kind, corrective note. "That just means in relation to training. If the owner is fickle, the dog will be, too, because the owner doesn't know how to train the dog to be constant."

"That's not what __I__ mean," Quatre hissed. "Shinigami is impatient, and now he's worried."

The others were rather quiet at that. It was true, though, that their bickering was troubling him; if they got into another damn argument, it may signal the end of their camaraderie. Did that mean Quatre had been feeling his emotions all this time?

Trowa was the one to break the growing silence. "You never mentioned this when you came to the circus."

Quatre moved, and his words told Duo he'd probably shrugged. "I never really concentrated on it; it was always so fuzzy. Indistinct feelings of hunger and protectiveness. Most of the animals consider you a sort of packmate."

"This is truly interesting, you two, but Maxwell's time is running out. We may simply have to leave the dog here."

"We can't leave him here alone," Heero said.

"Why? We know where Maxwell is. I agree that the animal's life is not unimportant, but Maxwell's safety comes first."

Heero didn't say anything to that one. Were they seriously considering just leaving him behind? Son of a bitch!

"Now he's even more impatient and worried," Quatre mumbled, and Duo went over to the doorway.

"We just have to leave him for a few hours," Trowa said, most likely comforting Quatre, "but then he'll be reunited with Duo."

Duo stepped out into the hall then, just as they all started to walk away. Panic shivered through him as they all started calling out a list of their weapons and mags for basic intel. The idiots were seriously just leaving him behind! He ran up to them and grabbed Heero's jean leg, stopping the man.

Heero looked back and patted his head. "Stay here, boy. We'll be back soon."

Trowa chuckled, though it was partially strained. "See? And he goes to Heero again."

But while the others ignored his warning growl and kept walking away, Quatre came to stoop in front of him, the blond's brows puckered. "That's not it, is it, boy? There's something going on. Danger?"

That stopped everyone, and it was close enough to the truth that Duo barked and turned toward Heero's room. He looked back at Quatre, then took another step. Thank goodness for the perceptive blond.

Everyone got into formation automatically, then paused for a short second to fill the spot where Duo was supposed to be.

Duo took them into Heero's room and went straight inside, turning to them again. Heero had taken point, and it was he who came in first, securing the bed and closet. Duo ignored their paranoid antics and walked to his corner before barking.

Heero was the first to come over, followed immediately by Quatre. Heero bent down and scoured the room, keeping Duo in the protection of his body, but Quatre looked right to the wall. The blond gasped and covered his mouth and stood. Heero turned, looked at Quatre, then where the blond stared. His gaze caught on the marker on the wall, too. He froze.

"Quatre?" Trowa finished searching the rest of the room and grabbed Quatre's shoulders as the blond backed away from the wall. "What – oh. Oh, shit."

Duo panted.

"Does that say what I believe it says?" Wufei asked then, coming up behind Heero and reading the short message over and over again, as if doing so would change the words.

As one they all turned to Duo. "Dog equals Duo," Heero said, his voice low, and those eyes of his were looking straight into Duo's. "Shinigami is Duo?"

Duo barked.


	5. A House Is Not A Home Without A Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The others come to believe Duo's message. At a price.

"This is ridiculous," Wufei said, but he didn't sound convinced of his own words. "How the hell could the dog be Maxwell?"

"Turris said they had Duo," Trowa said, picking up where Wufei trailed off. "They said they were going to execute him. We only have a couple of hours to stop them."

"We can't take the chance," Heero said quietly.

Duo ran in front of them and growled. His bad leg buckled for a bit, but he kept it planted and lowered his head. He was ready to attack them if that's what it took.

Quatre stepped forward, not bending, just stepping up and looking down. "...Duo?"

He lifted his head a bit, looked into Quatre's eyes, and barked. Then he went right back to growling.

This time it was Heero who came forward, shifting the air slightly, making it all smell of him, of soap and wood and gunpowder. Duo watched those dark blue eyes, ready to dodge, ready to __fight__ , but Heero just leaned down and held out a hand. His eyes were too full of things for Duo to catalog it all, but the man was holding his breath.

Duo hesitated, then sat and cocked his head. Should he sniff it? Raise a paw? Just what exactly was Heero expecting him to do? He whined before he could throttle the response. Heero could easily grab him, even from the position he was in. He watched that hand closely, afraid to move forward, afraid to move back. But if he didn't do something, would it be the same as doing the wrong thing? Would Heero still think him a dog?

"Is he going to run?" Wufei asked.

"No," Heero said, his answer quiet. He let out a soft breath. "We can't take the chance," he said again. He stood. "Let's head out."

Duo's doggy jaw dropped. Were they serious? Had he not responded to Heero's gesture in time? Quatre made a sound of protest, but Heero turned a glare on the man and said, "If he is Duo, he'll understand."

Understand? Oh, he understood, all right. He was being screwed over by his friends! These idiots weren't thinking this through! Duo snarl-barked and made to stand. Heero was faster, though, and while Duo struggled with his bad leg, Heero bent and grabbed Duo's jaw, shoving it up, and grabbed his collar. Wufei came up then, even as Quatre yelped, and while Duo pulled against Heero's hold, wrapped his arms around Duo’s front and pulled his legs back, buckling him over into Wufei's hands. He tugged and pulled and snarled, even ready to bite Heero, but then Trowa came up with a sigh and leaned down, and with two fingers pressed against something that spiked a sharp pain through his neck down around his spine. Everything went dark.

* * *

He awoke in the bathroom.

It took him a moment of disorientation to recall how to move a dog's body, and he jumped slightly when the groan he'd thought he'd been releasing ended up being a high-pitched whine. Fear slammed into him almost bodily, and he pulled himself upright. His bad leg screamed and wrenched in pain, then froze in position and refused to move into any other. Duo tested out the muscles for a short second before huffing and pulling it. If those fools didn't want him bleeding out, then they shouldn't have done something as stupid as ignore his message!

He looked up at the bathroom door and just said to hell with her princess-ness and the prettiness of the house. It was more difficult to get up on his hind legs now, what with both the injury and the small amount of space, but he managed. He grabbed the doorknob in his mouth before wrenching his head back and falling back once more, this time knocking into the shower stall and landing on the floor, a fall that was momentarily paused by his head slamming onto the toilet seat. Fun.

Then he was up, the pain in his head, side and back manageable, and he was out of that damn bathroom.

But now what?

Where could he go? Who could he speak to? He already knew the others were long gone; he wouldn't have been able to get that door open without __someone__ noticing. Was he supposed to just wait for the others to come back, minus both Duo and antidote?

Okay. Okay, __think__. There had to be __something__ he could do. But what? What the hell could a __dog__ do? Especially when no one took the damn dog seriously!

Duo sniffed and looked around with his strange vision. Nothing moved, not even in a breeze, and the smells of the outdoors were muted. The house was on lockdown. Getting out was going to be fun, too. If he could get to Preventors – or if he could find someone – do something...

He felt something cold and feral grip his throat then, as the full repercussions of being a dog finally grabbed him. There was nothing he could do.

No. No, that was wrong. There was __something__ ; he just hadn't thought of it yet. He turned to the phone. Had they started fighting already? Was it too late?

Well, if it was, then he would find out soon enough.

He got the phone down with very little finesse, simply going up on his back paws – a very painful effort that included, in short, his bad leg buckling, his balance deserting him, and his body hitting the counter. He swiped a paw up and knocked the phone down as he fell beside it. He thought he heard the vid piece break.

Oops.

The pertinent parts still functioned, however, and he pawed the speaker until it faced up and punched the numbers in with his nose – a feat that included several failed attempts and which got the entire damn thing wet as hell – and stood staring down at the phone as it rang. He whined again.

"Yuy. Report."

Heero answered, but his voice was short, clipped, and the words were for Preventor ears. Duo barked.

There was silence on the other end, at least from Heero; in the background, Duo could hear voices shouting. "Duo?"

The man was calling him Duo!

The thought made him giddy for only a moment, then something crashed in his chest – the cold something had become hard, leaden, and had somehow wormed its way to his stomach. Duo barked again, just to let Heero know he was still there, but that leaden something was starting to slither, starting to uncoil from its heavy skin.

Duo heard Heero's breath over the line, a long, hard whoosh. Duo wished he could see the man, could see what was playing on the stoic face. "I'm sorry." The man's words came fast now. "I'm sorry. We entered the Turris base, the fifth floor of the Arcane building. It wasn't their restaurant base, but that was where they were holding..." His breath whooshed out again. "Someone who looked like you. From far away, from the right – we saved him, but they burned the building and ran. We had to escape. We didn't..."

Duo's leg buckled again, and this time he let himself fall to the floor. Burned. Everything was burned.

"Duo. I'm coming back to the safehouse. The restaurant's still in operation, and we have men watching the building. Whatever leaders Turris has escaped, as well. At the time, we'd been primarily focused on..." On getting the fake Duo back. Duo closed his eyes and whined. The idiots. They hadn't listened. He'd tried to tell them, but... in the end, maybe it had just seemed too fantastical.

"Duo, I'm so sorry."

Duo whined again as Heero's voice slipped low, almost whispering against the speaker. Heero sounded like his voice was about to break. If only he could speak. If only he were human. But what ridiculous wishes were these?

"You probably injured your leg again," Heero said minutes later, and Duo heard the sounds of a car engine revving up. Outside the house, he could hear birds, could smell the grass as a wind rushed by. The kitchen he sat in smelled of flowers and fruit and the guys. He smelled their scents and leaned his head against a paw. "I'll have Trowa grab some more gauze." He was quiet again, and Duo couldn't hear much from the car – Heero was probably driving now. The man was silent, but though driving with one's cell phone was illegal, Heero would do it.

"We'll fix this, Duo. I swear it."

There was nothing Duo could say to that.

They stayed on the line, though for Duo it was because he half expected to hit the wrong button when trying to end it. For Heero? Duo couldn't say.

Damn, his leg throbbed.

He didn't know how long it was before he heard the sound of a car coming up the drive to the house, and he twitched. There seemed to be something wrong. Duo whined into the speaker, not even sure if Heero was on the other line still. He couldn't be sure, but he thought the car Heero was using sounded different. One of the doors opened, then another. Duo pushed himself to his feet.

"Duo? Does your leg hurt?"

Duo shot the phone a look. What the hell was Heero expecting with that question? A bark? A whine?

Duo bent down to the speaker and snarled.

He couldn't quite smell anything from whoever had exited the car. There was something, a smell of metal, maybe of ketchup, but that second smell was coming from the back – from the bedrooms, where those stupid sliding glass doors waited. Duo left the phone where it sat and slid over to those bedrooms. He could smell it much better here, in the first room – and then the sound of breaking glass crashed in his ears and the smells were overpowering. Ketchup, definitely, but old and stained. He could smell sweat then, sweat and laundry detergent, also an older smell. From the front, more glass shattered.

He was surrounded.

Where was there to hide? He looked around as footsteps searched the room, then started for the hallway. The best he could do was a surprise attack, and he would have to hope the enemy didn't just shoot him on the spot...

The kitchen.

He headed back that way, sending a quick look around the corner. The one in the front of the building was searching the living room. Duo was safe to head out, and he did, straight to the back door in the kitchen. How could he get that door open? It was another sliding glass door, but it was locked. Duo knew he could unlock the thing, but it would cost valuable time. He would be caught. His only chance was to break the glass and run – but how? With his dog body...

He hid when the man from the front came forward, ducking into the den. These guys were idiots. Duo snorted and listened. Their scents were starting to overwhelm the smells of his friends. The front guy had put on a lot of deodorant, and he had some sort of gel or something in his hair. The man in the back moved from the first room to the second. Duo slinked back to the bedrooms, watching the intruder slip into what had been Trowa's room, leaving the exit available.

Duo hugged the shadows as the first man headed to the kitchen, then entered the room and went to the broken glass door. He tried his best to avoid the glass, knowing the clinking sound would catch his enemies' ears, but he couldn't watch his back paws. The guy in the kitchen hissed and whistled, calling his ally over, and Duo knew the phone had been seen. It was time to book it.

Shards of glass cut into his pads and ankles as he wrenched himself forward, leaping through the jagged door frame and turning a corner, making his way to the street. The man in Trowa's room cried out, and Duo heard the one in the kitchen running. He put all his muscles into running and found himself by the men's car before he half knew he'd made it to the front yard. He bit at a tire, gnawed on the rubber until a small hole burst open. It would have to be good enough. He heard the front door being unlocked and tore across the street and down the white line, taking off down the side where a thin scent of gas led, covered by the fog of the men’s car trail. Heero would most likely be returning the way he went, right? So Duo followed where he could smell Heero's car to have gone and kept going, even as he heard shouts and running from behind. A car engine started up.

Relena's 'safehouse' was far from anything resembling cover, and Duo found himself running past open fields as the enemies' car roared to life down the street behind him. He almost cried when the next house came into view, and he ran across the neighbor's yard, the two men shouting something from within the car. His feet tore and ripped as the glass shards from the broken screen door dug in or pulled free as he ran. His bad leg burned like lava; his doggy heart pounded almost too fast for Duo to hear the individual heartbeats. His ears flapped against the sides of his head.

He heard the soft pop of a silenced pistol and heard the whistle as it passed by his left side. He hurried behind the house and stopped for a moment, trying to catch his breath. The men turned off the road and shut down their car. They would be coming after him.

He looked like a dog. Did they know he was more?

The neighbor's yard was just as useful as Relena's. What the hell was wrong with people? Put some trees in the back yard, at least!

He heard their footsteps, trying to be quiet. Duo wanted to laugh. Did people really think dogs couldn't hear that? Might as well stomp those feet all the way to the backyard.

One was coming from one side of the house, the other from the opposite. Hearing or no, he was in trouble.

A new pair of feet came from behind, and Duo turned, eyes wide. An old man was opening his own sliding glass door, one hand reaching out. "Well, hello there, big guy. What are you doing all the way out here?"

Duo raced over to the man and nuzzled him, then booked it into the man's house, hardly paying attention to the weird bamboo-ish flooring. The man only chuckled, though, and didn't chase after Duo like he'd hoped the man would. This old guy would get in serious trouble. He could be killed. Duo ran to the front of the man's house and scratched the front door. The old fool still had the back door open and was walking slowly to the front. Too slow. Duo could see the shifting of shadows outside the house.

He scrabbled against the strange floor and ran back to the man. "You have a lot of energy, don't you?" the old man chuckled, but Duo didn't stop to accept the man's pets. He barked and jumped out of the house. He saw movement, the swaying of grass and the bright black of two men's shirts. Pistols with too-long barrels. The popping of the silent weapons scattered the air. Duo jumped and ducked, running for one, knowing the enemy was too far away – especially in his feeble canine body. Something smooth and fast – even as a dog, he recognized the feel of a bullet – grazed across Duo's bad leg and on a howl, he was down. Just like that.

"You two get the hell out of here! I've already called the cops!"

Duo jerked. The old man. What the hell did he think he was doing? People who would shoot a dog in someone's back yard wouldn't give a shit about cops!

Then the old man whistled, and on the desire to live, Duo ran back inside. One of the men shot at him again, but the other whistled, as well, and the bullets stopped just as Duo jumped into the old man's house. Duo twisted around, looking for the old man who smelled of moth balls and foot cream, and stopped when he saw a gun in the codger's hand. He handled it like a pro and stood to the side of the door, feet planted shoulder-length apart.

The old man was military.

Just as Duo realized that, the man shot out into the yard.

Duo tried to move toward the old fart, but a new fire spread along his bad leg and with a whimper he crashed back down to the floor. He tried to pull his weight off his bad leg, but he lost his balance before he could get halfway up.

"It's all right, boy. Stay down. I'll protect you." The man didn't turn to him, but his voice was soft. Duo heard his attackers moving back around to the front of the house. Why were they retreating? No matter. Duo was safe. For now. It was definitely for the best that he was considered a dog now, since this man had probably been an enemy at some point. Then again, Heero had to come get him eventually, and that probably wouldn't go well.

The old man stood there, even as the unmistakable sounds of a car starting and pulling away came and went, and then a few minutes later he cocked the safety back on and placed the gun down on the counter. The man came up to him and pet him on his head. "Good boy. That was very brave of you." The man looked at Duo’s legs, easily finding the one that hurt and tsking. "Let's see if we can't take care of that, shall we?"

The old man held up his hand for Duo to stay and got up. With a stretch of his back, he left the room, presumably to get more bandages. What a waste of good cloth.

Duo huffed and rolled onto his side, already guessing how this was going to go. He couldn't hear any other cars on the road, and he couldn't imagine Heero getting back for a while. He looked up as the old man returned. He had some big first aid kit box, and the man sat in front of Duo's leg and opened the kit. He touched the bandages already on Duo's leg, and when the man touched the cloth, Duo could tell it was wet. Crap. "These were done well. Looks almost military, but it's definitely suited for you, boy. I wonder if a soldier went vet once he turned vet." The man chuckled at his own joke and pulled out stuff from his box before closing it again. "Will you be a good boy for me and sit still?"

Great. Pain. Always the best part.

The old man kept a constant stream of one-sided conversation, during which Duo suffered through an unwrapping and two wrappings, as his old wound and a new graze wound were both treated and wrapped up. Then, of course, the old man saw the blood and glass on Duo's paws and pulled all those little suckers out with tweezers and cleaned them up. Finally, finally the torture ended and Duo was ordered to sit still while the old man tried to find his 'master.' Duo barked then, hearing a familiar car going down the street far too fast for it to be legal. He looked over to the phone and barked again.

"Hm?" The old man looked at Duo, then at the phone, before looking back at Duo. Duo kept his eyes on the phone. "Do you see something, boy?"

Duo huffed and made to stand. The old man made a disparaging sound in the back of his throat, but Duo lifted his bad leg and wobbled for a moment before hopping forward on three legs. He thought he would definitely fall, but his good back leg moved into his body a little bit and took some of the weight that his other back leg would have taken if it were on the ground. He took another step forward, then looked back up at the phone.

"Well, well. You're a quick learner, aren't you?" The old man pet Duo again, then looked one last time at where Duo stared. "I don't see anything, boy. They're gone now. You can rest."

The old man left his side, closed the glass door, and left the back room – a kitchen, Duo knew, though the floor wasn't kitchen-y and the counters were just wooden slabs hanging awkwardly out from the wall. The stove sat in the middle of these wooden slabs, competing for most awkwardly placed appliance with the fridge, which jutted out from the wall beside the glass door.

Duo considered just grabbing the man's phone, but figured that would be too rude to the man who had just saved his life. So he looked back one last time before leaning up on his back paws, putting his bad foot on the ground again, and grabbing the sliding door's knob in his mouth. He pushed off from the wall with one front paw, then, once the thing was opened a few inches, dropped back down and used his muzzle and one paw to get the thing open enough to get through.

"Leaving me?"

Duo looked up at the gangly old codger with his white hair and grinned. He hopped his three-footed walk over to the man and sat. He lifted a paw and cocked his head.

The old man chuckled and leaned down, taking Duo's paw in one hand. "It was very nice to meet you, too," he said, and, message successfully delivered, Duo gave the man one last bark before heading out of the house. He couldn't smell anything from his enemies save their lingering scent, starting to drift among those of the old man and what had to be a kid's smells – baby powder, spit, and shit. The enemies' scent led up to the front of the house, but there was no new smell of them. They'd both left in the car. They were long gone. But had they headed back to the house?

Duo struggled three-legged to the street. The sun was high above him, beating down warmth as he sniffed. They'd gone the opposite of the house. They'd probably been afraid of having been jinxed or something. Idiots were superstitious, after all.

So all he had to do was get to Heero.

He headed off toward the house when another car started coming from a distance up the drive. What the hell kind of luck was Duo having?

He tried to hop back before realizing that his entire body was apparently made for forward movement, but not so much for backward movement. Like, at all. He tried turning himself around and almost face-planted. He laid down and hoped he wasn't as obvious as he thought he was. It was too sunny. These yards were too perfect. If these were those shooting goons again, he was dead.

The car coming up the road didn't sound the same as theirs, though, and by now those two men would be having tire trouble. He was starting to feel a fluttering of hope in his chest just as the car came up, and as it passed he let go of his held breath.

And then it stopped short.

Shit.

He put pressure on his bad foot and pushed himself up again. Could he run again so soon after all that effort from earlier? But he had to.

He'd just started to turn when the car doors opened and a small whiff of air passed by his nose. He turned back to the car then, his tail already starting to wag. He recognized those scents – that baby powder smell and the predator piss on the foot disembarking from the driver's side.

Quatre. Trowa.

He hobbled forward, pulling his weight off his injured foot now that he knew he was safe, and Quatre ran right up to him, shouting out a half-laugh, half-sob. Duo found himself surrounded by that baby powder and a full fluff of a blond.

"Oh, Duo, Duo," the boy said, "oh, thank Allah."

Duo whined, his balance shifting. Quatre pulled back and helped Duo into the blond's lap, where he proceeded to hug the breath out of Duo once more.

Trowa chuckled, coming around to them and kneeling by Quatre's side. The man put one hand on Duo's back, not petting but still there, and let out a breath. Trowa looked up as the front door of the old man's house opened. "You the owners?" the codger called.

Trowa stood, trailing his hand on Duo until he couldn't reach anymore, and Duo saw that same hand lean over and touch Quatre's shoulder. The blond whimpered for a moment before letting go of Duo and standing, as well. "Yes," Trowa answered then, but Duo saw him lean on his knees a bit more. Ready to fight.

Duo barked at the old man and hoped his tail was still wagging.

"No danger?" Quatre said, his voice low, and he was looking down at Duo. For the first time, Duo got a good look at the blond's face. There was a scuff mark on his left cheek, an abrasion. Duo sniffed Quatre closely, but the smell of blood was weak. Same for Trowa. Minor injuries, then, most probably. But what about Heero and Wufei? "Trowa."

"That dog was chased here by two men," the codger called out, and the man stepped out onto his porch. "They had silencers."

Quater's breath hitched. "Heero," he said then. "We have to get to Heero."

Duo turned to Qat then. Why? What had happened to Heero?

"Thank you," Trowa said. "I know this sounds strange, but we have to go. I ask that you please tell no one about this."

"You boys in trouble?" the man called. Duo looked over to him. He couldn't see the old man's face too clearly, but he was rubbing his hands with something. A cloth? At least the man smelled like nothing more than that powder and foot cream, with just the faintest tint of the gunpowder from the earlier battle.

"Nothing we can't handle," Trowa said, cocking his head slightly. The old man tilted his head then, too, and walked back inside.

"But can your dog?" the codger called back, and the door shut behind him.

Duo bristled.

"Trowa, we have to get to Heero." Quatre looked right over to Trowa, while their taller friend watched the man's house for a moment longer.

"Are you positive he's safe?"

Duo barked and panted, but it was Quatre the man was looking at, and it was Quatre who's answer Trowa waited for. "Yes," the blond said, nodding once. "I have no doubt. He's a little angry, but mostly worried. He probably thinks we're too young. And when he looked at Duo, he felt rather protective. I think he's an animal lover."

Duo panted at that, too, though he wasn't positive if he should be insulted about being considered an animal. It couldn't be helped, of course; at the moment, he __was__ an animal.

Quatre bent then and scooped Duo up in his arms, grunting slightly at the weight, and Trowa got the back door for him. They both worked to get Duo inside without bumping or injuring his already wrecked leg; Trowa hissed at the new bandages and ran a finger over the new wound. Then Trowa closed the door and they both went around to the front, Quatre already flipping his phone open. Both sat down and strapped themselves in while Quatre listened to the phone ring. The blond tapped a rapid beat against his pant leg. Duo heard the beep of the phone and the demand for messages to be left just before Quatre snapped the thing closed. "It's off," he said, and Trowa grimaced.

In a moment they were moving. Trowa ignored safety laws, pushing the car to go faster, and Quatre turned to Duo, his big blue eyes taking in Duo's bad leg again before looking into Duo's eyes. "Duo," he breathed, and ran one hand over Duo's side, leaning back enough that his body had to be protesting. Duo noticed Trowa slow the car down a bit and wanted to laugh.

Duo gave the blond a doggy grin and licked the hand. It tasted of salt and sulfur, but the action made the blond giggle and pull back instinctively. "Duo!"

Trowa looked over. "What did that idiot do now?"

Duo growled.

Quatre wiped his hand on his pants and reached back, twisting his spine again, and rubbed Duo's head. Duo reached up to lick the man's hand again, but this time he was prepared and escaped. Trowa watched, slowing down a bit more, and smiled.

Then they were pulling into Relena's house and Quatre was hopping out of the car even before it had completely stopped. The blond hissed and touched his chest, right above his heart, and Duo looked up, expecting Trowa to rush out to help Quatre, but the taller man only unlocked the back doors.

Quatre pulled open the door and reached in for Duo, grabbing him around his front and back legs and hefting him up once more, this time without the grunt. Trowa turned off the engine. "Go," he said. "I'll catch up with you."

But Quatre was already moving, dodging around the car and making his way to the porch steps. Duo's legs bounced lightly against Quatre as the blond ran up.

A hoarse cry emanated from the kitchen.

"Heero! We're here!" Quatre called, his voice high and fast. Duo started struggling in Quatre's arms, wanting to get to Heero sooner. What the hell injury could make the man moan like that? The front door was slightly ajar, and with his foot, Quatre kicked it open. Duo couldn't hear anything more from the kitchen. He barked over and over again, wishing like hell he could talk. What was happening to Heero? Why wasn't Quatre pulling out his gun? Why was the blond rushing stupidly through the living room unarmed?

Then there was plenty of movement, as Heero ran around the corner of the kitchen, just entering the hall, and skidded to a stop. Those cobalt eyes didn't take in Quatre at all; they slid over to Duo and locked. Heero entered the hall, his first step slow, then suddenly he was rushing forward, his arms already held before him, and Quatre was adjusting his grip on Duo even as Heero came up to them.

Without a word Heero took Duo from Quatre's arms and pulled Duo to his chest. Heero’s head bent down onto Duo's back. Those strong, steel-bending arms shook.

Duo struggled to look back at Heero and whined.

At the sound, Heero stumbled back against the wall of the hallway and slid down, down to the floor. Heero curled into Duo, even as he placed Duo on his lap, injured leg up. More than the arms trembled; everything did. Heero's entire body shook.

Duo leaned his head up and back, just barely able to see the side of Heero's face, buried in his fur. He whined again and craned his neck to lick the man's cheek. He missed and got Heero's ear.

"Duo," Heero said, his voice hoarse, still, as if from screaming. Or crying, though Duo did not smell tears. "Duo. Duo."

Duo turned his head in the other direction, and this time he was close enough to nuzzle the man's shoulder with his nose. Still Heero didn't move.

Duo heard Trowa coming up to the front, but before the man could enter, Quatre padded softly back the way he'd entered and left. After a moment, he and Trowa moved back, probably to the car. Heero didn't acknowledge any of their movements, simply holding Duo to his chest and repeating Duo's name like a mantra. Like a prayer. And Duo let him, let Heero take anything he needed, and leaned the front of his muzzle as best he could against his partner's shirt. Heero smelled of gunpowder and smoke, even more than usual, so much that the smells of soap and shampoo were layered far beneath.

"Duo," Heero said again, this time in a whisper, and he leaned down even more, dislodging Duo's muzzle. Heero rubbed his nose in Duo's side. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Duo."

For what? For not believing him? For going out and fighting the enemy; for locking him up in the bathroom? Or for breaking down in front of him? Maybe for Duo's injuries, or having to fight those goons alone? But Duo couldn't lay into him now, not when the man seemed to be almost in tears. Instead he leaned back again and licked Heero's hair. And got one on his tongue. He fought to get it off and realized with a little horror that dogs couldn't spit.

Heero loosened his grip slightly then and pulled his head from Duo's fur. "Thank you," he said, voice quiet, and while Duo lifted a paw and scraped his tongue down it, Heero traced one hand down Duo's back. It made Duo pause; Heero knew now without a doubt that Duo was the dog, yet still Heero pet him? It was such a remarkable concept that Duo simply leaned his head down and panted slightly in Heero's lap, even though he knew he had to be heavy. Heero didn't seem to mind the weight at all, and actually pulled Duo a little further onto his lap. There was a steady thumping sound coming from behind him. One look told Duo it was his tail, smacking stupidly against the floor.

Duo heard a third car coming in to the drive and looked up, perking his ears forward.

"It's all right. Trowa and Quatre aren't warning us – it must be Wufei."

They'd taken three cars? Why? What had they done? Duo looked over to Heero and whimpered, pushing his nose against Heero's arm. He really wished he could speak. What kind of comfort could a silent animal be? Especially with someone so damned silent himself.

The car engine stopped. A door slammed open and closed. Duo could hear muffled voices from outside, each talking to the other all at once. Somehow messages were delivered, Duo supposed, or else there would probably be more talking. Unless everyone had resorted to hand signals. Heero didn't seem to care at all; he just kept stroking Duo's fur. The trembling in the man's arms was gone. Only his fingers shook now.

Wufei came toward the house, murmured a quick, "I must," and then pulled the ajar front door open and stepped inside. His eyes immediately fell on Heero and Duo, and he came forward. Heero only looked up at their friend once Wufei had stopped beside them.

Then Wufei knelt to his knees beside them and bowed his head to the ground. "Maxwell. I doubted you, and by doing so placed you in danger. I ask your forgiveness."

Wufei was trembling, too.

Holy shit, was everyone like this? Had everyone lost it when they'd realized who Duo was, when it had hit them? It had probably happened after the battle-rush, right? They would have gone on the assumption that the fake Duo, or whatever they’d seen or heard out there, was real, and then only when they saw it wasn’t had they realized that the dog had been telling the truth, as ridiculous a concept as it seemed. How had they felt then, knowing they'd left their doggy ally alone in the house in the bathroom?

And then to speak with Heero, only to have the conversation cut off. No wonder everyone had freaked.

Duo barked and lifted a paw, whapping it against Wufei's knee. He adjusted the placement and barked again. Heero's hand had stilled on him as Wufei spoke, but Duo felt uncomfortable leaving Heero when the man was so obviously upset. Besides, what he did was enough for Wufei to raise his head and look into Duo's eyes, and he blinked at Duo's doggy panting.

Duo whapped his paw on Wufei's knee again and leaned his head forward. When he couldn't reach, he whined.

Wufei obligingly leaned forward, not saying anything, looking ready to be bitten. Duo leaned forward with a happy pant and licked, one long line from chin to hairline.

"Agh!" Wufei said, pulling back and covering his face. Heero laughed, a choked, hoarse sound that cleared after a couple of seconds. One of Heero's hands came up and tousled Duo's fur, making his ears flap. Duo panted and leaned around to lick Heero on the cheek again, now that the man was right there for the licking. It made Heero laugh again, this time like a child. Then there was one more hug, and Quatre and Trowa were walking into the house.

Quatre came up to Duo and rubbed his side, and once in range, the blond got licked, too, and then Trowa, who'd been coming up, as well, grinned and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. Duo sent the man a doggy pout.

"We should head out soon," Trowa said. "This place has been compromised, and we need to go to Preventors, anyway."

Heero nodded, and with fingers that no longer trembled, he wrapped Duo in his arms and stood. "How is his leg? He has a new wound." Heero nodded down to Duo's leg. Damn. He was going to be talked around again.

"I don't know." Trowa pushed off of the wall and led the way back outside, his gun pulled from its holster. "I didn't bandage it."

"What?" Just like that, Heero was tense all over again.

Trowa didn't answer this time, busy scanning the front lawn. Quatre spoke up. "Duo had gone to the neighbor's house, so that old man must have done it. Duo held no fear of him, Heero. He helped him."

Nonetheless, Heero pulled Duo just that bit tighter to him, and this time Duo could recognize the emotions on Heero's face. The emotions that said he'd failed as a partner. Duo leaned his head up and knocked his nose against Heero's chin. Another whine escaped, this one without his permission. Heero closed his eyes for a second before nodding.

Trowa and Wufei went to the same car, one with a slightly blue tinge, and Quatre covered Heero as he carried Duo to a different car than he'd driven before. Heero was going to leave his car here, at the compromised safehouse? Talk about dedication to the cause.

Trowa and Wufei started their car, then sat idle as Heero sat Duo down in the back. "Get in the back with him," Quatre said then, looking around.

Heero only hesitated for a moment before saying, "all right." The man rushed around and grabbed the door behind the driver's side. Duo watched the man sit beside him and felt something warm rush through him. Heero was acting as his guardian. Heero buckled himself in and leaned right over Duo, vaguely touching the white bandages, just as Trowa had. Quatre got in then, as well, and pulled his seatbelt out. "Is he hurting?"

Quatre clicked the seatbelt in its clip and started the car. "No, not really. He's still happy that you're feeling better."

Heero blushed. Duo panted his laughter.

With a huff, Heero tousled Duo's head again and smiled. That hand rested against the back of Duo's neck, and with the safety of Heero's touch, Duo let himself close his eyes and rest.


	6. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new safehouse is chosen.

Duo woke up to the steady pressure of that hand, the warmth so complete that he knew it had been there the whole trip. Quatre was parking the car, squeezing between two cars colored gray by his vision. He raised his head and looked around. The place was dark, silent, and smelled of gas and oil and cigarette smoke. The space alone seemed to echo, even without sound.

The Preventors parking garage. They would be staying for some time, then.

"Duo, stay down. I'll pick you up." Duo turned to Heero as his hand slid from Duo's side. Heero pulled out his gun and searched the lot before exiting, and he hunched into the car slightly as he moved around the car to Duo's side. He holstered his gun before opening the back passenger door and stooping over. Quatre unhooked his seatbelt and pulled out his own gun.

Then Heero's hands were slipping under Duo's body and those arms wrapped him up, and he felt the muscles under Heero's skin flexing and moving and straining. He fell limply against Heero's chest and looked up. Heero's gaze was searching the area. Quatre took point in front of him. Trowa and Wufei came up then, their footsteps echoing like thunderclaps around the garage. Trowa went to Heero's right, guarding over Duo's head, and Wufei took the back. They marched like they were on a battlefield until they were by the side entrance. Quatre pulled out his ID from his back pocket and flashed it in front of the screen by the door, and Duo's jaw dropped as the thing rang Quatre in.

They entered the lobby, and Duo saw so much movement he was momentarily overwhelmed. There were a billion smells and a million legs. People paused as the ex-Gundam group moved their way through the halls, but they still shuffled papers, spoke. Duo heard a phone ring, saw someone move to answer it. He was rushed out of the crowded entrance and into the stairwell. Heero kept Duo close to his chest as they walked up, his breath still steady even as they passed the first three floors. Trowa touched Heero's shoulder, silently asking if Heero needed to switch off, but Heero shook his head and kept moving forward.

They reached the fifth floor of the Preventors building and stopped on the landing there, Quatre pulling out his phone and speed-dialing a number. Heero leaned against the wall as they all waited and hefted Duo up a little higher. "We need to check these injuries," Heero said, and Duo looked up to see Heero staring over at Trowa.

"I know," Trowa said. "I understand that Duo and Quatre seem to trust that old man, but I want to be sure. We'll look him up on file once we finish with Une."

Heero nodded and looked over to the door they'd stopped in front of, the one leading from the stairwell to the fifth floor. His eyes narrowed. His lips pressed thin against each other.

"Une? Yes, it's Quatre."

"And are you willing to tell me what's going on now?" Well, so much for 'hello.’

"Better – we'll show you. We're on the fifth floor. We'll be outside your room in less than a minute." Quatre didn't wait for an answer, simply clicking his phone closed. The action made Trowa snort. "Come on," the blond said then, and he opened the door, his gun still hanging loosely from one hand. Trowa went next, then Heero, with Heero sliding through sideways, keeping Duo from the edges of the door. Wufei followed last.

The hall was quiet, with only the sound of someone at a keyboard. It had to be Jessica, the woman playing receptionist for Une until she finished her graduate degree in criminology and officially joined the force. Duo recognized the scent of her perfume, so much stronger with his doggy senses than its usual subtle scent. She looked up as they all turned the corner and gaped. "Um, hello," she said, and her gaze slid to Duo. "Is this..." She cleared her throat. "Am I going to get into trouble for this?"

"I'll handle it," Quatre assured her, and opened the door to Une's office.

Une was already in front of her desk, papers in her hands and chairs scooted around to form a loose circle. She waved at them to sit as soon as they all entered, then hitched an eyebrow as Heero came in with Duo in his arms. Heero sat down first, taking Duo with him and putting Duo bad-leg-up on his lap.

"What is that dog doing in my office?"

"That's Duo." Quatre shut the door behind Wufei. He stood by the door until Wufei moved forward, taking his place by Trowa's side and both of them sitting by Heero's right. Quatre took his left, swerving around the chair and sitting with legs uncrossed. His back was straight, his hands in his lap. Duo panted at him. What a businessman.

Une put the papers in her hand on her desk. Her gaze slid down to Duo. "He looks a lot like a dog."

"He is." It was Heero this time, his hands resting on Duo's side, one on his upper shoulder, the other on his stomach. Duo caught Heero looking at his wounds and huffed out a breath. "He was attacked while we were returning to the safehouse and sustained another injury."

"Yuy." Une pointed to Duo with one long finger. "He's a dog."

"Check his blood," Quatre said, "or double-check the poison for canine eukaryotes and prokaryotes. We'll be right."

"Search a poison for dog DNA?" Une pushed off her desk and went around the thing. "You sound insane. Genetic engineering has only recently been perfected, and that was ground to a halt for over two decades by the war. When do you think people would have found the time for such a ludicrous poison?"

"Nothing furthers technology faster than war," Wufei said.

"It doesn't matter how ridiculous it seems," Quatre said. "It's true."

Une pinched the bridge of her nose. After a moment, she picked up the phone on her desk and pressed a button. "Jessica, get the lab to check the poison for anything DNA-related."

"Yes, ma'am." It was weird; Duo could hear the response both over the phone and outside the door. He could even hear Jessica scoot her chair back and walk in those high heels over to the elevator. He cocked his head. How did women ever walk in those things?

"And you're positive that this is Agent Maxwell." Une put the phone down rather slowly. "Because he responded to the name Shinigami?"

"No. He left us a message." Wufei said it, but he shifted in his seat. One hand was in a fist on his chin. "It said 'Duo = Dog.' The message was clear, but we disregarded it for the threat to Maxwell's life."

Duo smelled the reaction each of his friends had to those words and barked. Everyone, even Une, turned to him. He panted for all of them and let his tail whap against Heero's side. Quatre sighed and leaned back. "It was when we reached the man being held as a lure that we realized the truth." Quatre's fists clenched as he said it, and his lips pulled back slightly before his face calmed again. It was obvious he didn't fully believe what he was saying; Quatre had believed Duo the second he'd seen the message, and he'd ignored it. Duo didn't leave any blame on Qat's door, though, nor on anyone's. How the hell could a man become a dog?

Not that he wouldn’t hold it over their heads when this was all over. Jerks.

"I see." Une put her arms on her hips. "I'll need to have that proven."

Duo huffed again.

"I won't have him moving around," Heero said, and sent a little warning glare to Duo. Duo looked away, but his tail kept whapping Heero, then got caught between Heero and the chair. He looked back at it and tried to tell it to move up, but it wasn't willing to listen to him. He looked back to Heero, but the man was already staring at Une again. "His leg needs to heal."

"What happened to it?" Une nodded to the second bandage. "And he can prove he's Agent Maxwell without moving." Though the woman didn't seem ready to offer any examples as to how.

"We don't know," Trowa said, speaking up for the first time. He leaned forward. "I want to check it. During the altercation with the enemy, Duo ran to the neighbor's. It was there that he was patched up. As for what happened, we can't exactly ask him, now can we?" Trowa waved an arm toward Duo and sighed.

Heero's fingers curled around Duo's fur.

Une sighed. "I can't believe this." One hand went to her temple, then dropped. "All right. What do you plan to do now?"

Quatre leaned forward again, his eyes scanning everyone, finally coming to rest on Duo. "Our safehouse has been compromised. We need to find out how. It will most likely be by someone on Relena's payroll, so we'll have to check them. After that, we need to find a place to rest. Then we'll concentrate on getting inside Turris' stronghold. We need to see if they have anything to counteract the poison."

Une sighed and leaned back to grab the phone again. "If it __is__ something to do with DNA, Po should be able to use Maxwell's health records. If we have any of Maxwell's blood, we should be able to use it to try to, what? Put it back to normal?" The woman sighed as she punched in a few more numbers and put the phone to her ear. She rubbed her temple with her free hand. "You four had __better__ be right." And she glared at Duo. "And __you__ had better not leave me any surprises."

Duo huffed and grinned.

"Po?" Une turned so she was facing her desk more than them.

"Une. I'm in the lab."

"Good," Une said, cutting Po off. "Do you have Duo's health records? His blood? Hair?"

Heero's cell phone rang then, and he jumped. His hands clenched in Duo's fur once more, then he cleared his throat and reached for the machine. He looked at the thing for a second before opening it. "Yuy."

"Heero!" Duo flinched at the voice, a movement not lost on Heero. He looked at Duo with a frown. "I just heard you were attacked! What happened? Is everyone all right?"

"We're fine, Relena," Heero said. "Duo was hurt, but the rest of us hadn't been there."

Relena was silent for a beat before she squealed. "Duo? You found him? How is he?"

Heero ran a finger through Duo's fur. "He... could be better." Heero's lips thinned. "I can't tell you anything more. Relena, you have a leak. And your house – I'm sorry; it–"

"Oh, my God. You're right; of course you're right. It had to be someone here who told your enemies. I'll tell Milliardo at once. What do you mean, 'Duo could be better'? How bad is it? Are you at the hospital?"

Now it was Heero who was putting a hand to his forehead. "Relena, slow down. Things are... complicated. He's not in life-threatening danger." But Heero sounded like he felt he might be lying. "No, we aren't at the hospital. We're with Une. It would be best if you told Merquise immediately. Now. We need to find whoever told Turris our whereabouts and what the mole knows about the group. Can you take care of that while we're here?"

Duo poked Heero with his nose as the man started shaking again. "Of course. Yes. Please be careful, Heero." And Relena hung up.

Heero closed his cell and stared at it for a moment, blinking rather slowly. Duo whined. It was enough to make Heero move, for him to put his phone back into his pocket and look back over to Une. His hand fell from his temple back to Duo's shoulder. His fingers still shook slightly.

"Yes, those should work." Duo looked over to Une, too, as she thrummed her fingers on the desk. "When will the results be in?"

"I can't say. One hour? Ten? This is something we've never searched for before. It'll be testing both the machines and the people."

"Fine. Just go on the assumption that the results will be positive."

"Roger that." Po and Une hung up practically at the same time.

Une turned back to the men, putting her phone back on the receiver by feel alone. She looked again at Duo and cocked an eyebrow. Suddenly the woman was smirking. Duo had bad memories associated with that look. "You all understand that, if that truly is Agent Maxwell, we searched rather thoroughly for particulates on him."

Duo smelled Heero's blush just as the man's fingers froze on him. He looked up and saw Heero's eyes widen to saucers. He was very glad to be a dog, then. The only sign he made to show he'd understood what she'd said was a stilled tail.

Quatre gasped, then burst into laughter. Trowa soon followed.

Wufei cleared his throat, and for some reason, he was blushing, too. "We'd thought of Maxwell as a dog then," he said, but he had to clear his throat again.

The silence then was awkward as hell, and no one seemed ready to break it. Duo barked. Heero jumped again – everyone did. He huffed, and his tail was wagging again. Everyone looked at him. Quatre laughed again. "Well, at least all of us are together. Our main objective is to get Duo back to normal, and then we'll worry about taking down Turris."

"You may need to focus on both at once," Une said. She walked around her desk, finally sitting in her chair. "It seems as if Turris is rather interested in taking down you Gundam pilots. Of course, this agency is here to assist you in any way necessary. We'll keep in touch with you on the poison." The woman steepled her fingers. "As for where to go, check with Jessica. She should be back by now, but if not, wait for her. She'll have a few places for you."

Heero shook his head. "If possible, I would prefer to stay at the Peacecraft home. No place would be safer at this time, and we're at a disadvantage with Duo in this state." Heero pointed down to Duo's body. Duo wanted to growl at the man, but it was true. He'd been shown that rather clearly when he'd been attacked earlier. But really? Relena's?

"As for the tests," Wufei said, "I feel I can do something to help there, and Barton and Winner both want to look through the files here and check the man Maxwell had come into contact with." Wufei turned to Heero. "Will you be safe alone? We will follow after you as necessary, of course."

"I won't be alone." And those hands rested over Duo again.

Trowa nodded then and stood. "All right. Then can I ask you for your health kit, Commander?" He turned to Une. "I would like to double-check Duo's wounds."

Une nodded, one quick jerk, and ducked to grab the thing from underneath her desk. Then Heero was standing, too, and carrying Duo once more. Quatre pulled the chairs back from their circular form and moved for Heero to lay Duo on the floor. Duo huffed. Again? But this time Heero moved a fair distance back, leaving Duo's side for the first time since they'd been reunited. Duo felt oddly lonely. Why was Heero making such a large distance between them __now?__ It couldn't be because he was Duo, could it? After all, the man had seemed to be even __more__ touchy-feely...

It clicked as Trowa accepted the kit from Une and snapped it open. It was because Une had reminded Heero that Duo was human – his partner – when she'd noted the particulate search. Now Heero was thinking of Duo as he had before the doggy disaster. He was creating the normal distance – bringing things back to the way they’d been.

Dammit. And now, as Trowa looked at the bottom of Duo's paws and hissed, Duo was worried that trying to breach that professional gap would be bad. After all, Heero had been feeling like a failure as a partner even before Duo had been left behind at the safehouse. He must have been horrified with himself. Trying to re-create distance would probably be an effort to be a good partner again. If Duo tried to bring them close once more, what would Heero do?

Trowa touched Duo's pads softly, then dabbed at them. "That's good, at least. These have already begun to close." He cut off the bandages the old man had wrapped and inspected both of Duo's leg wounds. Heero, meanwhile, pulled out his phone and dialed a number. Trowa's lips thinned as he looked over Duo's wound. "You bled badly on this one again, I see. You're lucky you have blood left in your body." Then he was cutting off the new one, and he hissed as it came free. Even Duo could see the long, red line from the gunshot, one that had ripped all of the fur from his skin. "This is deeper than I would like." The cloth was pulling away little clumps of fur. "Quatre? Could you come over here and hold Duo's leg for me, please?"

"Relena?"

"Heero. What's wrong?"

Duo looked over and saw Heero with the phone to his ear. "I have... a favor to ask of you."

Relena was silent for a moment. "Of course."

Heero sighed. "Relena, I haven't even said what it is yet."

Quatre gripped Duo's paw and upper leg and held them still. Trowa grabbed a bit of cloth and cut it free, then poured a liquid on it. Was that hydrogen peroxide? Duo clenched his jaw and turned, closing his eyes. Trowa apologized softly as he put the cloth on the wound and dabbed. It was like a hundred fire ants had suddenly been dumped into the wound. Duo keened in pain before he could stop it. From Heero's side of the room, Duo heard a single footstep before the man stilled once more.

"Heero, in all the years I've known you," Relena was saying, "you have never – not once – asked me for help. Whatever it is, I will give it to you."

Heero's voice, when he answered, was low and deep. "Thank you."

Trowa dabbed a bit more, then finally pulled the Cloth of Torture away. "Thank you, Quatre. You can let go now." Quatre did, and Duo hadn't even realized he was pulling against Qat's hold until his foot curled up slightly. He whimpered. "I know," Trowa said, "but we'll need to do this every once in a while to keep it clean. Commander, do you mind if I borrow this kit?"

"Do what you must," the woman said, sounding like she just didn't want to deal with the hassle of it all.

"I need a secure location to take Duo," Heero said. Duo looked over as Trowa began wrapping up the gunshot wound. Heero's hand was a tight grip on the phone, his lips pulling back into a slight grimace. His shoulders were hunched. Duo found himself whining again, this time for another reason entirely.

"Of course bring him here!" Relena said. "I'll have it set up – well, Milliardo could probably do it better – but we'll make sure you're safe in here, and we'll catch whoever told anyone anything. Milliardo has already sent out an emergency notice, so everyone will be coming shortly. We'll find whoever's betrayed us, and we'll find a way to take down whoever's hurting you and your friends. I promise, Heero. How is Duo? How are __you?__ "

Heero took a deep breath. "Thank you, Relena. I'm in your debt."

"Hee-"

Heero snapped his phone shut and came up to Duo then. "We're able to go to Relena's," he said, looking down into Duo's eyes. "She's allowing us to stay, at least for a time. I don't know how Merquise will receive us, but he won't throw us out. That's enough for now."

"Thanks for the report, Yuy," Une said. "Keep in touch."

Heero nodded, but he didn't turn to Une at all. Instead he watched Trowa's hands as they wrapped around Duo's leg again and again, until finally he cut the bandage and taped it up. Quatre took the bandages, gauze, and tape, and put them all back into the kit. He snapped it closed as Trowa double-checked his work and handed the thing to Heero. Heero wrapped it around his wrist.

Trowa stood then, Quatre by his side. Wufei, seeing the job to be done, bowed slightly and left the room, most likely to go down to the lab. Quatre turned to Une. "We'll check out the neighbor and search for more information on Turris, anything we might have missed in our rush." Then he turned to Heero. "Be careful, Heero. It may be more than one person, and you're going straight to whoever sold us out."

"I know." Heero leaned over and picked Duo up, his hands infinitely gentle once more, but not quite hugging Duo so tightly to his chest. "I'm counting on it."

Duo understood. Snitches tended to panic when danger came too close. The innocents who worked on Relena's payroll would take Heero's and Duo's appearance in stride, but the snitch would probably start to sweat.

Then Heero was making his exit, as well, Quatre holding the door open for him. Though Heero didn't ask for it, Trowa and Quatre led Heero and Duo down the stairs again and out to the garage. They helped Heero get Duo situated on the backseat before thumping the hood and promising to keep in touch and follow as soon as they were done searching. Heero 'hn'ed and started the car. Qat and Tro stepped away as the car pulled out of the parking space. As they left, Qat called a, "see you soon!"

* * *

Heero was silent as a tomb on the way to Relena's, of course, and Duo was slowly going mad from the quiet. He looked out the window, but though everything moving by so fast caught his attention, the blur of things tinged to slightly the wrong color disoriented him still, and he found himself more fascinated by the scents again – which only helped to disconcert him more. It had actually been easier to deal with all the doggy body parts when he'd been considered a dog. Now that everyone knew he was human, it was like he had to adjust to the body all over again. He was called human, but he wasn't. Not right now. Maybe never again.

He really had to stop thinking like that.

He looked at the back of Heero's head for the millionth time. Heero's eyes hardly ever strayed from the road, and when they did, it was because he'd slid to a stop or taken a turn and only glanced back to make sure Duo hadn't been hurt in some way from the movement. He was all business again. It was going to drive Duo mad. He'd felt something much, much different when Heero had clutched him in that damn safehouse. He didn't want to lose that closeness, even if it was borne from fear and horror. It was a start of a closer friendship. A closer partnership. A closer... relationship.

Duo huffed and leaned his head on his paws, eyeing the radio knob. If he had any doubt that Heero would let him move around enough to grab the knob, he would be up in a heartbeat. He was so damn bored!

Well, what the hell was he doing? What did he normally do when he was bored?

He barked.

Heero jumped slightly and looked back, searching Duo over, then searching outside the car. "What is it?"

Duo huffed and laid his head back down. Really, Heero? Really?

Duo growl-barked and moved a paw toward the radio. If the man was going to be this boring, the __least__ he could do was turn on the damn music!

Heero looked back again, then slowed the car down as he hit traffic. He turned his head around completely then, once more checking that Duo was okay, then looked around. They'd hit the evening traffic, something they usually avoided like hell, either by leaving early or, more likely, leaving late. Heero reached over and clicked on the radio. Godsmack's "Awake" played. Duo yipped and howled with the music – once more deliberately off-key.

The sound was so low that Duo hardly heard it, even with his excellent hearing, but Heero was definitely laughing. It almost made him stop, but he was too afraid of it disappearing. So he howled again, then again, even as someone in a car nearby cursed him out, then as a little kid somewhere started howling with him, ignoring her mother's order to stop.

He heard Heero huff out another little laugh.

* * *

Men were there to greet them as they entered Relena's estate. Heero pulled out his gun on them as they came up. Both backed away, hands up, and Heero shouted at them to leave. Only then did Heero get out of the car. Duo hoisted himself up, thinking to get himself out, but Heero snarled at him to "stay the hell put," and with a snort, he did as told. For now.

Heero came around and clipped his gun, hoisting Duo out and turning so that if one of those men shot, Heero would be the one hit. Duo growled low in his throat, but he was ignored.

They were led inside, and Relena was right there at the entrance, welcoming Heero in. She looked behind him for a moment, her brows lowering, before she turned to Duo and made a sound of distress. "Oh, Heero, what happened to him?"

"He was attacked." Relena looked up at him wide-eyed. "I'll explain everything later. Where do we go?"

"Follow me."

Duo and Heero both turned to the voice, Duo already growling low in his throat. Heero hefted Duo then a little roughly, but Duo couldn't turn it off. It was like whenever he ended up whining – he couldn't help it. "Merquise," Heero said as greeting, and nodded.

"Yuy." Then the man turned on his heel and walked to the ornate princess staircase.

Relena sent Zechs a glare from behind his back, then shooed off the muscle men with a wave of her hand. She came up to Heero's left as he moved to follow Zechs. "Heero, where's Duo?"

Heero's fingers curled into Duo for just one second before loosening. "I'll explain everything later," he repeated, and she blinked a few times before looking ahead and nodding.

Zechs led them to the right from the staircase, past a long hall with pastel paintings of the sky and water and flowers – lots and lots of flowers – and past a few normal-looking rooms before stopping at the one on the end. Huge wooden double-doors with fancy golden knobs towered above them. Duo looked at those doorknobs though and grinned. They were the easy pull-down types, ones he could get with just a paw. Thank goodness.

"This will be your room," Zechs said, "since it's the most heavily enforced." The man did not seem pleased with this. When he opened the door, Duo knew why. The place was most definitely Relena's room. Soft pinks and whites made the room look like part of a dollhouse. The bedsheets had been changed to a pastel blue, most likely in deference to Heero's arrival. There was a tiny, trickling fountain on the floor with a little mini-pond in it, and beside it was a plate with chopped-up pieces of meat. Duo's stomach growled.

"Oh, Heero." Relena touched his arm, and Heero turned to her. She let go and twisted her fingers nervously. "We didn't have a dog bed – I couldn't find anything similar to it anywhere, and I asked the maids to help look. The best we could do was get some blankets piled up in the far corner – will that be enough?"

Heero looked down at Duo, who was busy looking at Relena and wondering about those pod-people again. "Will it?" Heero asked him, and he barked and panted for him. Heero turned to her. "It will be fine. Thank you." He turned to Zechs. "Is this room monitored?"

"Not anymore." The tall man put his hands in his beige pants packets and leaned against the doorjamb. "I personally took down all of the equipment."

"Good. Let's step inside, then." Heero led the way, allowing his back to be exposed to both Zechs and Relena. Just how the hell often had Heero been around these two? And without ever telling Duo?

Heero carried Duo all the way to the far corner and placed him down on the blankets. They were comfortable and warm, and Duo noticed a cord traveling to a small socket. Electric blankets? For a dog? Duo felt his tail start to wag and glared at it. His damn body kept giving away every last emotion he felt.

"Thank you for this, Relena."

She tilted her head, even as her brother moved behind her to shut the door. "I was trying to tell you on the phone, Heero. I'm glad to help. Really."

Duo tested his balance, then pulled his good legs underneath of him and stood. Heero was moving away from him, toward Relena. Duo felt something stupid shimmer in his chest, a cold sort of spiky thing that pricked his lungs. Zechs moved away from his sister and touched his gun for a moment as his gaze snapped over to Duo. Zechs watched him as he made his way to the plate of food. His mouth was already watering.

Relena's eyes caught on Duo then, and Heero turned in reaction to her. He stiffened, then took one hard step to Duo – and stopped when Duo leaned down and gulped up the food. It was only the second meal he'd had as a dog, and he was absolutely famished. He only got a few bites in, however, before he got desperate and lapped at the fountain's pond.

"Oh, good," she sighed. "I'd hoped that would work for him."

He felt the weight of Heero's gaze for a while longer before Heero spoke. "That's Duo."

Duo looked up then, wanting to catch the look on Relena's face. Her brows were pulled low over her face. "What is?"

"The dog. The dog is Duo."

Relena's face didn't change in the slightest.

Zechs shifted against the wall, his hand twitching to his gun. "You mean to tell me that you believe the dog to be your old war ally?"

"He __is__ my old war ally, my partner, and my friend." Heero took a step toward Zechs. "And you will do nothing to threaten him."

Relena put her hands up and stepped between the two men. They looked about ready to start an old Western shoot-out right there where they stood. Duo whined and hobbled over to Heero's side. That calmed Heero awful quick; he pulled back and looked at Duo with a grimace. "Go eat," he said, his voice just above a whisper, and took a long, deep breath.

Duo sat beside him.

"Heero." Relena walked up to them both, her eyes flickering from Heero to Duo and back again. "He's a dog."

Duo huffed.

"The poison in our tea will show what we've already confirmed," Heero said, and the man didn't waver in the slightest. "He's Duo."

Relena looked down at Duo again. "He... he has your friend's eyes," she said, with a voice that sounded like a 'but' was coming. "But," ha, "but Heero, how can that be?"

"We don't know, but we have people in Preventors figuring it out." Heero's hands froze in place, just enough for Duo to notice. There was no more movement in them, and Duo looked at them. They were like marble, so hard was Heero trying to keep them from curling into fists. Duo leaned his head up and lightly bit one of the hands. He whined. Heero looked down at him with a weird, wide-eyed gaze before tilting his head. "Fine." And when Duo let him free, Heero wiped his hand on his pant leg and turned back to Relena, his body looser than before. "I can't take him outside. He's been targeted. Is there any way for him to take care of any business from within these walls?"

If Duo had full use of his four paws, he had no doubt he could've used the damn toilet. Too bad he was an invalid at the moment.

Relena blushed a little and looked back down to Duo. "I – I'll ask." And she opened the door and escaped the room. Duo watched the door click shut behind her and found himself whining again. What the hell was his problem now?

Zechs stepped forward. "Yuy. You can't be serious. This is a rather cruel joke to play on her, just to keep her from you."

Heero stiffened his spine. "I'm not joking, Zechs."

First name? Duo watched as Zechs took it in stride, moving to stand right before Heero. "You mean to tell me you truly believe this animal to be your partner."

The man's tone was downright condescending. Duo growled a warning. "It's all right, Duo." Heero held a hand before Duo in a sign to remain still. Thank goodness it was a military hand signal, or he might have bitten that damn hand. "It may be impossible to believe, but it's true."

Zechs snorted. "Prove it."

Heero hesitated, but Duo had already had enough. He walked over to Relena's nightstand – covered as it was with flowers and little notepads – and grabbed one of those packets of paper and carried it over to Heero before dropping it by the man's feet and barking. Heero looked down. "Paper," he murmured, then moved around Zechs to go to Relena's dresser. It had a huge mirror on top of it and probably enough make-up to pay a poor woman's annual salary. Heero grabbed a pencil-eyeliner and walked back. "Here," he said, and knelt down for Duo to grab it. Duo looked at the lid on the thing and huffed, pawing at it. Heero uncapped it and held it out again. This time Duo took it.

Zechs watched the proceedings silently, but even he leaned over as Duo worked. "Dear," he read out, "Zechs." He blinked. "It can't be."

Heero was silent as Duo worked, and Duo felt those eyes watching __him__ , not the paper. Probably for the best, if Heero really was on friendly terms with the guy. It wasn't that Duo hated him, or even that Duo disliked him. Duo just didn't want to be around him. Ever.

Honestly, the guy was a downer. Always crossing his arms and stoic-izing his face. He was like a much less likeable version of Heero. Minus all the redeeming characteristics.

"Dear Zechs," the older man read off again, "go to hell." Duo dropped the pencil-eyeliner and panted in happiness. Not only had he victoriously written the message, he'd also made it legible! And it hadn't taken hours! He was getting better at this whole 'dog' thing.

Then he paused. Maybe... that wasn't a good thing.

Zechs stepped back as Heero breathed out that little laugh of his. With one hand, Heero reached out and placed his hand on Duo's head, just enough to show support, before that hand retracted again. Something tight squeezed around his chest then. Really? Were they really going to go back to acting as nothing more than partners? Semi-friends? After the breakdown Duo had witnessed, Heero was going to take everything back to normal?

But what could he do to stop it? He was a dog! He couldn't have a heart-to-heart! He couldn't go up to Heero and say that from now on, they would work closer, almost inseparably, because Heero and Duo were both human and humans needed, and they needed one another. Nor could Duo kiss Heero and put everything on the table. He couldn't even throw an arm around Heero's shoulder or tell Heero that they were both all right. He __wasn't__ all right. He was a dog, and one of his legs was badly injured. He was out of commission. And they were not out of the woods yet. Not by a long shot.

Someone knocked on the door. "Heero? It's Relena. I... I have the first aid kit that was in your car."

Zechs opened the door as Heero stood, and he took the kit from her. "It's true," Zechs told her quietly, and she jerked back, looking up at her brother. "The dog – Duo – just wrote that." Zechs pointed to the scribbled message on her notepad and placed the kit by the inside of the door. She looked down. Those eyebrows of hers drew together again, and like Princess Aurora, she was drawn to the spinning wheel that was Duo's little note. Heero moved aside for her, and she stared down at it for a good, long while. Then she looked at Duo.

"...Duo?"

He ignored the faintly horrified, accusing tone and barked.

She staggered back one step, then another, until she laid one hand on her bed and turned to sit on it. Her eyes never left his. "How can this be?" Finally she broke her gaze from him and turned to Heero, leaning forward until she looked about ready to topple off. "How did this happen? How did you find out?"

Heero held up one hand, and Relena's mouth shut. "We don't know – it has something to do with the drinks in our houses, but we haven't figured out what had happened yet. As for how we found out, Duo left us a note, too. We..." He took another steadying breath. "We ignored it. We'd received a message from Turris saying they were going to execute Duo." Relena covered her mouth with one hand, and that forehead puckered as she watched Heero. "We went to save him. At the time, we'd felt that we couldn't take the risk. But while we were gone, your house was attacked, and Duo was there alone."

Her eyes went to Duo, and a flicker of understanding ran through Duo's mind. This was why Heero was so close to her, why he would always be so close to her. She looked ready to cry.

The hand covering her mouth came to rest on Duo's cheek. "You must be hurting in there," she said, and suddenly stood. Her gaze went to Heero, then to Zechs. "We will do whatever we can to help you, Heero, I swear it. We won't rest. Come with me. Our first order of business is finding who sent your attackers."

She went back to the door and opened it. Without turning back, she left. Zechs held the door for Heero to follow, but before he did, he looked to Duo and came back, kneeling once more. "Rest," Heero said. "Eat, drink, and rest. We'll find out what's going on, and then I'll be back. The others should be here soon, and we'll need to plan. Rest while you can."

Duo whined before he could throttle the impulse, but he barked and sat.

"Thank you." And Heero stood. On his way out the door, he held out his hand. Obligingly, Zechs pulled out a key from his front pocket and dropped it into Heero's waiting palm. Then Heero walked out, not turning back again. Zechs turned the lock on the doors – okay, maybe not so easy to get out through – and shook the knob a few times to test it before leaving, as well. The click when it closed this time was louder, seemingly rougher. Duo found another whine crawling up his throat and swallowed it back.

Heero was right. He needed to rest. He turned back to the weird fountain and lapped up only a little more water, not willing to need a bathroom break without means to take care of the problem, then chowed down on the rest of the meat. Then he trudged his weary body over to the blankets, almost tripping over the things with his awkward balance, and plopped onto his side, bad leg up. He was out almost before he landed.


	7. A Dog Is A Dog Whatever Its Color

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duo comes face to face with a mirror.

Duo heard a little thumping noise outside the room and lifted his head, even though the door couldn't be seen past the ginormous princess bed. The room was dark, too, and the filmy curtains in front of the windows cast strange moon-shadows over the floor. Duo tried to get up and got his paws tangled in the blankets.

Someone knocked on the door, and Duo wriggled like mad until a scent floated past the door – giant cat piss. Duo relaxed a bit then. "Is Heero not in there?" Quatre murmured. Duo focused on one front paw, twisting it around the blanket and pulling it free, then the next, pulling it left, then right, until it was free, too. He pulled himself up with his front feet planted firmly on the ground, finally twisting his back feet and shaking the blanket off. He hobbled three-legged to the door.

"He may still be with Relena and Zechs," Trowa said. "Duo? You in there?"

Duo barked and scratched at the door. He could get the door, but he would have to put weight on his injured leg. It wasn't absolutely necessary to; he probably shouldn't keep ignoring the wounds. Heero was right. He needed to rest while he could.

"All right. I suppose he locked you in for your protection?" Trowa said, and there seemed to be a little smile in his voice. Duo barked again. He wasn't thrilled about it, either. Especially after having woken up in the damn bathroom earlier that day. "We'll go get the key from him, then." And Duo listened as they dropped a couple of things and went off down the hall. Then it was silent again.

Duo was feeling a bit uncomfortable despite having not drunk all that much; he whined. Stupid vocal cords, running loose without his permission.

He took a closer look around, finding his eyesight not even remotely deterred by the obvious darkness of the room. He could still make out the make-up stuff all over the top of the bureau, saw the knick-knacks lying scattered on a table by the closet doors – double, of course, and almost as huge as the entrance to the room. He went that way, enticed by the scents of flowers, maybe, or more probably just morbidly curious about the girl whose room they were borrowing.

The knick-knacks turned out to be pictures and jewelry and notes and a whole bunch of little things. Duo saw a hair clip next to a necklace with a broken chain, and both sat beside a little mp3 player. There was a note that must've come off of a thing of flowers – probably why the entire room stank with the smell – and, beside that, an old photo of what Duo thought might be a plane of some sort. Stupid dog eyes didn't want to focus on–

But that picture, the one in a frame tucked into the corner, almost hidden by some tulle – that he recognized, even in its 2-D rendering.

Heero.

And not just any old picture of Heero. Duo had a couple of those – he'd grabbed a disposable camera one day and had subjected Heero to countless candid camera shots, all of which had ended up showing him with the same expression of annoyed acquiescence. Heero looked like a righteous martyr in every last one.

But not in this one. Relena was pulling Heero into the picture, and Duo knew he was allowing it, because Heero didn't move if he didn't want to and nothing short of a two-by-four could make him, and Heero was looking down at her with what even Duo could make out as a tender expression. There was a half-smile on those gray lips.

Duo sat.

Okay. So he'd known the two were close. How plainly obvious could they make it? The two of them still did that stupid name thing, and they almost seemed to know what the other was going to say, even before they started speaking. The two of them were comfortable with each other. Zechs was apparently a norm for Heero, too. Duo had hardly seen the man after the wars ended. Well, war and uprising, or whatever. So Heero had apparently gotten in contact with her at some point, either before or after he'd shown up from his trip around the globe and joined Preventors. And stayed in contact. Close contact.

But he wasn't with her. He'd turned her down flat, and she'd let it go without a problem. Duo reminded himself of that as he looked at that picture, but it didn't help him. Heero hadn't given Duo that look in any of his pictures, not once. And Relena was looking at him slightly – he was smiling right in her face! It made something in Duo's chest just ache. He felt like his very veins were bleeding. How stupid of him.

There was a short two-pound knock and then something slid into the door. It twisted open, and Trowa was entering the room, a couple computer carrying cases in his hands and a plastic bag with what smelled like tea on his arm. Duo stood and hobbled up to him. "Hello, Duo." Trowa smiled and placed his things next to the first aid kit by the door. "How's your leg?"

Duo huffed. Of course that would be the first thing the man asked.

"Right." Trowa looked around the room. "We were given the room to the right of this, just down the hall," he said. "Myself and Wufei. Quatre has the room to the left." Duo whined at that. He understood that Wufei was Trowa's partner, and that Quatre was a big, famous diplomat, but Trowa probably wanted to be by Quatre's side more than ever now. "I'm fine with it. Wufei and I work best together, and Quatre can take care of himself." Uh-huh. But Trowa didn't __smell__ fine with it.

Inspection of the room over, he pointed to the floor. "Lay down, Duo. I want to check your leg."

Duo huffed, but he did as told and laid down. He tucked his good legs under his body and wiggled his back left leg out. Ouch. That actually hurt.

Trowa rolled his eyes at Duo’s dramatics and leaned down. "Good. They're still clean." He touched the bandage over Duo's bullet wound. "I need to change this and put more peroxide on it." Apparently Trowa already knew how that news was going to blow over. He stood and grabbed the kit. "Do you think you can keep your leg still?"

Duo honestly didn't know. His body did things – made noises, performed movements – that he didn't seem to have any control over. Like his tail. His damn tail ignored any and all orders. He whined as an answer and bent his head. Honestly... no. He didn't think he could control his own stupid legs. He hadn't even known he was pulling away from Quatre's touch! How could he ever think to control a body he'd never suffered in before?

"All right." And the man came back with the kit and sank to his knees. "All right," he said again. "We'll take this slow. Okay?" Duo whined. Trowa smiled for him and touched his head. "You and Quatre were right, of course. About that man. His name is Kristopher Vandura. An old armyman. He received a purple heart and a string of honorary mentions. Left the military about a year before we arrived." Duo huffed in relief. Well, thank goodness for that, at least. Though the man most likely had friends on the inside – friends that might have been lost to Duo and the others. It didn't mean the man wouldn't hate them if he knew who they were. "In any case, he's clean. As for Turris..." Trowa opened the kit and pulled out a cotton swab and the dreaded peroxide. "Well, I'll let everyone know that at the same time. But we know they're only after us because we managed to fool Maremaia's plans. Now they've learned that we need to be killed before anything is attempted. That fool girl almost gave them an easy victory, going to Heero's house like that."

Duo's eyes flickered to the picture again. Maybe he understood why she'd gone. Telling Heero over the phone would have been enough to pass along the information, but she probably needed to see if that smile was safe.

"We spoke to Wufei before we left. He seemed hip-deep in... things." Trowa snorted. "I'll be the first to admit that I don't quite understand what happens in a laboratory. Most poisons are easy enough for me to make, but I don't dissect the things. I just add the ingredients necessary." Duo woofed softly in agreement. Trowa smiled as he pulled apart the bandaging. "Yeah, that's a lot of plasma," he murmured. "We have to make sure it doesn't turn to pus." He felt around the wound. "We're lucky to have someone like Wufei on our side." His fingers paused, and for the first time in a while, Trowa looked into his eyes. "You saw our argument."

It wasn't a question, but Duo woofed again, anyway. He uncurled one front paw and put it on Trowa's arm. It was the best he could do.

Trowa tilted his head in recognition. "Thank you. We realized what we'd done – ousting him for showing his concern to us. We apologized properly in the lab." Well, thank goodness for that, at least. "Now more than ever, we need to pool our strengths to bring you back."

If Duo were human, he would've blushed. His paw slipped back to the floor.

Trowa put the peroxide on the cotton swab then and looked down at Duo's leg. "This is going to hurt," he said, as if Duo wasn't well aware of that fact, and then the man held Duo's back leg – and Duo found himself automatically trying to get free – and dabbed the wound. He yelped and definitely felt himself trying to pull away then. His front paws moved until they were grabbing the carpet with the claws. He clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. The yelp ran into a whine and just kept going.

"I know. You're sensitive to touch now." And Trowa just kept dabbing.

The door slammed open then, the force enough to make it bang against the door stopper on the wall. Duo and Trowa both turned, Trowa taking a defensive stance in front of Duo and Duo raising himself onto his feet until the smells hit and he relaxed, plopping back down with a sigh. Heero and Quatre looked in with guns drawn. "Trowa?" Quatre asked.

"We're fine. I was cleaning his wound." Trowa waved a hand toward the supplies on the floor. Quatre and Heero put their guns away then, but both were looking at Duo. "He's all right, too. Dogs are sensitive to touch, and usually they clean their wounds themselves with their tongues. The peroxide hurts."

Heero stepped forward first, but while he paused, Quatre didn't. The blond rushed straight to Duo's side. "Duo, are you all right?"

The constant worry was going to annoy him soon. Probably. He barked for the blond and turned to Heero. The man just stood there in the entrance looking lost. Duo barked again.

"He's worried about you, Heero," Quatre said, and he turned, too. "Frankly, so am I." Quatre rubbed his chest with the heel of one palm. Duo tried to curb his emotions then, but Qat's eyes were on Heero. "You haven't been acting-"

"I'm fine." Heero walked in then, closing the door. "We found the mole. Lionel Winsley." He looked over to the cases Trowa had dropped and nodded. "Thank you for getting my computer." He walked to Duo. He stopped a foot away, even though Quatre made room for him, and when he squatted down, he kept his hands on his lap. "The man admitted to contacting Turris through his computer. Zechs is questioning him now. We were coming to check on you when..." But Heero stopped there.

"Duo? Do you need to go out?" Duo looked up at Quatre. If 'go out' meant go to the bathroom, the answer was a resounding yes. He barked. "All right. Relena's maid had an excellent idea. There's a miniature potty you can use that she made. It's low to the ground, so you shouldn't have a problem with it." Duo was __so__ glad he wasn't human to blush on that one. "I'll take you to it once Trowa's done."

He wasn't done? Duo looked up and saw the man with a clean swab. The other one was on the floor by the kit, a part of it just slightly darker than the rest. He whined again.

"I know." Trowa's smile was a little forced. "Quatre?"

"I – I'll do it." Heero scooted a little closer, and with those bare hands he wrapped his fingers around Duo's foot and upper thigh. Duo froze. "I'm his partner."

"All right." Trowa leaned back over Duo as Quatre moved to Duo's head, putting it in his lap. He pet Duo's cheek, his hand sliding to his ear, and Duo nuzzled into his legs, rather afraid of himself now. Heero's hand was very close to where it had been before – right __there__. Just a few more inches... shit. Those thoughts ended up distracting him momentarily from the eminent pain, and Trowa's stupid peroxide swab of death made him jump and yelp again. He heard Heero wince.

"Lionel Winsley had a perfect record," Heero said then. Distracting himself as well as Duo. "Clean, save for two speeding tickets in his first couple of years of driving. He was a coordination manager – he's been fired now, of course. Une wants to take Winsley in, but Zechs thinks he might be able to get something out of the man. She's purposely going to arrive late."

The information was enough to make Duo gain enough control that he didn't whimper again. Shit, had peroxide hurt like this when he'd been human? Was Trowa right – was he more sensitive to touch now? That sucked. Of course, it also helped explain why Heero's hand, doing nothing more than holding him down, was giving him shivers. Thought that would probably happen even if he were human.

"There. Done." Quatre sighed at Trowa's words, but the petting didn't stop. Duo looked over to Heero, who was letting go of his leg like it was poison – ha, ha – and standing. Trowa put the swab next to its brother and began rebandaging the damn thing, putting gauze over the still-burning skin. "I really hope this works. Taking him to a vet might have disastrous results."

Quatre hummed an agreement. Heero seemed uninterested in the conversation; he'd already moved over to his computer and snagged the thing. "Hopefully, we'll get something out of Lionel, and we'll be able to take down Turris without much of a struggle."

"They have a large following," Trowa said. He taped Duo's wound and turned to the kit, putting everything once more in its place.

"We'll take the head," Heero said, and sat on the bed, unzipping the case and pulling his computer free. "If we get the leaders, the rest will fall. Just as before."

"The problem will be getting through all those people without any casualties," Quatre said. "It was difficult enough this morning without our Gundams, and that was with us successfully infiltrating the building. We won't be so lucky again. We won't be given the same opening."

Heero pounded on the power button. His computer chimed merrily to life.

"I agree." Trowa picked up the cotton swabs and tossed them in the trash. "I'm going to wash my hands. Quatre, why don't you take Duo to the restroom?"

Quatre nodded. "All right." The blond smiled down at Duo. "It's pretty inventive, actually. She took a cake pan and put newspaper shreds and grass inside it. It should work, and the maids will clean it up. I figured you'd be horrified enough with that, without us being the ones to do it."

Duo barked loudly at that one. __Damn__ straight.

Duo heard the faint sound of water running and turned to it. So the bathroom was beside Quatre's room. Of course it was – the diplomat should be given the most ease, shouldn't he?

Quatre moved out of the room and grabbed something, coming in only after having picked that something up, and Duo watched the man come in with the actual cake pan in his hands. His doggy mouth dropped.

"Come on," Quatre said, and Duo sent a disbelieving look to the man before turning to Heero. His partner didn't even look up. Probably for the best, though; the thought of peeing as a dog while Heero __knew__ – it was absolutely humiliating.

Duo trudged after Quatre as he went to the closet – really? Duo was going to be doing his business amongst the princess' dresses? – and opened the door. Duo's nose was attacked by flowers and soap. Duo wrinkled his nose. Soap? And some of those flowers smelled like Relena's hair. Shampoo? And when Quatre started moving __into__ the closet, Duo found he had no choice but to do the same, hobbling like a fool through the swathes of grayish-white dresses and skirts, each packaged in a plastic bag like corpses in a freezer, and there was enough room that the place was probably where the princess probably tried on each outfit, too. The thought was cemented when he passed what looked like a dog in-between two rows of clothing. He stopped cold. That dog was limping on three legs.

Him? That was him?

Quarter continued on, and Duo turned his head to look as the sound of his footsteps changed – holy shit, the woman's closet led to a ginormous bathroom – before turning back to... himself.

He couldn't see his fur color, but it was a dark gray-brown. Probably a brighter brown to human eyes. He hobbled over to the mirror and cocked his head. Yes, he could see the white bandages over the back leg, which was held carefully off the ground. He was rather tall, he supposed, with long, skinny legs and a long, thin tail that was still at the moment. His ears were long, too, flapping over to rest on the sides of his face. He had a long muzzle and a really dark nose.

Dog. He was a dog.

He sat, disturbed that the thought was smacking him in the face again __now__. How long had he known that he was a dog? How long had he walked around on four legs and felt the awkwardness – or worse, the recognition, the comfort, the __ease__ of the act? How often had he hated his vocal cords, his inability to speak? How many times had he barked? Growled? Been pet and felt the fingers run through his fur?

But here it was again, a new, painful way of realizing it. Mirrors never hid truths. He was... he was a dog. A tall, potentially bright brown dog. A chocolate lab. Yes, he was bright brown.

He didn't know he was whining until both Quatre and Heero raced once more toward him.

Quatre leaned down beside Duo immediately, touching the bandage on his back paw. Duo turned to Heero as the man came up to him, too, and then froze where he stood. Heero's eyes swept from Duo to the mirror, and on the mirror they stayed. Duo looked back, too.

He saw himself, and Quatre, the blond finally concluding that Duo was probably fine physically and touching Duo's back. Heero stood beside them, half chopped off by the mirror's edge, his eyes slightly wide. Duo could smell Heero's pain. It came like a gust of icy wind, chilling his flanks, spearing his lungs. Heero saw what, in that instant, Duo saw. His two human friends and their old teammate, his eyes glowing a weird, dark blue-gray – apparently the color purple wasn't one widely accepted in dog-vision – and his fur dark. He tried to imagine what he thought they saw – the brown of his old hair, the violet of his old eyes. All trapped in that dog form. Heero's hands twitched. The movement caught Duo's gaze for a moment. Yes. They were all being shown for what they were in that instant. Two human men bound to their old friend, who in turn was a dog. A __dog__. They couldn't joke together anymore. They couldn't spar. Couldn't commiserate. It was all over.

And looking into that mirror, Duo couldn't say that it would blow over eventually. That he would definitely be human again someday. From everything he saw, everything he knew in that instant, he was a dog.

If dogs had tear ducts, he would have cried.

Quatre gasped and clutched his chest, and though Duo was aware of it, he couldn't do much to help his friend. He found himself whining again and wanted to strangle his own vocal cords. Why did everything have to be shown to the world? Why was his every emotion right there in his throat? Stupid dogs!

Gods, he was calling himself a stupid dog.

Heero's eyes caught on Duo's in the mirror, and they stared at one another. Heero turned his face away, breaking the contact, and Quatre gasped again as Heero walked away.

Shit.

Duo found himself laying down before he quite understood what he was doing. His bladder was a bit impatient with him, but he couldn't find it in him to move. Heero had turned away from his doggy form. Of course. It made sense. How painful was it to have your partner turned into a dog? Duo couldn't even imagine how he'd feel if Heero was a dog. Well. That could be because of his particular... emotional circumstances.

Still, if Heero cared enough about Duo to be his partner, then the man certainly cared enough to be upset.

"Duo," Quatre said, touching Duo's back and scratching slightly, "it'll be all right. Wufei was working feverishly. It means he had to have found __something__. He'll keep working on it until he finds a way to make you human again."

Duo whined again and laid his head on his paws.

He only allowed himself his sorrow for a few more moments. Dog or not, everyone was still responding to his bout of angst, and he needed to make it stop. He was the uppity one; the one everyone depended on for happiness. He had to shape up. After all, everything wasn't over yet. There was still a lot they could do. Even him. Even in his stupid dog body.

Duo stood up again, feeling, for a moment, the weight of the effort, and nudged Quatre with his nose. The blond smiled for him and stood, leading him in to the closet-bathroom. It was huge and sparkly and everything was probably peach or pink – gods, everything for this girl was pink – and his little make-shift potty was sitting there in the left corner by the toilet, wedged between it and the countertop. The countertop that spanned from one edge of the room to the other. Another mirror sat atop it, like a hotel mirror, from one end of the wall to the other. Duo was thankful it was above his height.

Quatre left the room, giving him privacy to take care of his business. He stared at the thing and felt that damn wave of depression roll over him again. This was really how it was, then, huh? He couldn't use the human toilet because he wasn't human, and no amount of pretending would make it so. Damn, he'd had a much easier time grappling with all this when he was just Shinigami. When he'd been trying to argue his humanity, it had seemed like them seeing him as a dog had been wrong, and in fighting to prove himself human, he'd conveniently overlooked the fact that he looked like a dog and focused only on finding a way to communicate. He'd been running and hiding, and from something as clearly unavoidable as his change in species.

He pawed the bathroom door almost closed before stepping over to the cake tray. He put one paw in it and tested the thing, but it didn't slide around at all. There must've been something sticky on the bottom, and his stupid little breakdown had missed him from hearing or seeing it. He took a deep breath and stepped into the thing. He had to lean down to take care of business. Even through the newspaper and the grass, there was the sound of water on metal. He winced at it, then just suffered through and took a dump, too. At least that was quieter. Shit. It was going to stink up the entire damn room.

How humiliating.

He pawed open the door and hesitated before leaving. He would have to pass the mirror again. And again and again, until they at least left the room. He took a deep breath. Okay. He could handle this. There wasn't anything much to it. He just had to face what he might be for the rest of his life. He had to stop pretending it wasn't there. He had to suck it up. He was a dog. A dog with a human brain.

He wanted to scream.

He stepped forward, once more hobbling to the mirror and staring at himself. That was what he was. A dog. A large, brown-gray dog, because normal brown didn't exist anymore. Neither did violet, or purple, or red. He could never be sure if that bathroom was as pink as he suspected it to be. The towel on the rack was pink-gray. No. It wasn't yellow-gray, or pink-gray, or peach-gray. It was pink, the way he now had to define it.

So the world looked grayer than it should. It was only color.

He found himself needing to take another deep breath. He could probably deal with being a dog. It would mean a shorter life span, a different way of living. He would be nothing more than a pet to his once-friends, but he thought he could deal with that.

But __Heero__. He wished he could have what he'd had with him before – a partnership. A togetherness that would be lost forever now. That was probably what made Heero turn from him, the knowledge that what they'd been was now gone. That what Duo had told himself was enough was now __more__ than enough, so strongly desired the longing burned in his chest. Gone. It was gone, and it was gone forever.

He had to think like that, or he might break. Deal with the heartache now. Get it done and over with.

He was a dog.

* * *

He came out of that closet just as someone called Heero's phone. He watched Heero answer the thing and looked over to Trowa. The man was with Quatre, rubbing the blond's back. There was food on Duo's plate again, something he must've missed due to his spacing out – again. But he smelled it now, and he moved to it as Heero answered. "Yuy."

"Yuy, I'm on my way. How is everything?"

Duo felt Heero's gaze flicker to him, but he just leaned down and ate. His first concern was food, his second water. His third was a good nap, and his fourth – to become his first if necessary – was to answer Heero's or Qat's or Tro's orders. "Fine," Heero answered. "You?"

"Well enough," Wufei said, sighing. "We were right – it was some strange DNA compound. It seems like the DNA hadn't been made for what it produced. There are several places where ligases seemed to fix whatever had been initially done."

Heero's gaze flickered to Duo again, and this time Duo turned to the water bowl. Damn, but he'd been hungrier and thirstier than he'd thought. Showed what thinking as a human did in a dog's body. "And?"

"Well, from what we've gathered, they'd actually meant to pull Maxwell's DNA __apart__ , somehow. To leave him debilitated or, perhaps, simply gone. As if to pull Maxwell's cells apart."

Duo heard the metal of Heero's phone crack slightly under pressure. "And?" he said, this time with that dangerously low voice that preceded pain and torment.

"The ligases tried to fix the DNA strands that were to alter those in Maxwell's blood," Wufei said. Duo lapped up the water and wondered if he was the only one not quite following what the hell Wufei was saying. "They and the nucleases created a canine DNA construct, which was incomplete until it touched Maxwell's blood. Then the single-nucleotide polymorphisms formed to create the specific labrador DNA."

Heero took a deep breath. "What is it doing to him now?"

"Now?" Wufei hesitated on the other end. Duo heard a shifting on the bed and looked over, finally; Quatre and Trowa were unobtrusively listening in to Heero's conversation, though they smelled frustrated – probably they couldn't hear Wufei (not like it was doing __him__ any good to hear the man). Heero was gripping the phone hard enough to break it. In fact, Duo heard another small grind of metal on metal. He gave up on drinking and went to stand in front of Heero, knowing from the tension practically vibrating along his skin that was man needed comfort. "Now," Wufei said then, "the viral DNA is most likely trying to change __all__ of Maxwell's body to that of a canine. His blood and skin have obviously already been altered, and I believe his organs will be next, if they haven't already been completed. After that?" The man sucked in a breath. "After that comes the brain. And if that happens... I don't know that we'll be able to save him, Yuy."

* * *

Duo gave up on the nap, of course, when he learned of his impending... canine completeness. Heero had explained it to Quatre and Trowa, using all the big, fancy words that Wufei had, and when Duo barked for clarification, Quatre told him his DNA was being changed by the virus. Basically, he was going to be completely dog-like soon. And that meant bye-bye human brain. Forever.

It was scary to learn that, after all that time in the closet having a heart-to-heart with the mirror, he'd still believed he was going to be human. Or at least human _enough._ After all, whether he remained in a dog body or not, his mind was his mind. How he thought. How he felt. How he _loved._ To learn that soon he would be fully canine... no. He couldn't stand the thought.

He really was going to be a dog. Forever.

He lay down as Heero clacked furiously on the keyboard of his computer. Wufei was due to arrive any second now. Quatre had returned to Lionel and Zechs, hoping to get more information. Trowa was standing in front of the window, talking on the phone to someone, a voice Duo didn't recognize. He was asking for information on Styx Cafe – a cafe so great, you'll forget your troubles, har har – and getting very little that was useful. Duo was fairly positive his friends – shit, he was still thinking like that... although now he was more afraid that he __wouldn't__ think of them like that soon – were going to jump in again, this time in order to save Duo before he slipped into permanent dog mode. It made a sick sort of sense – they were afraid of losing him, so they would jump into action. But hadn't they already fought? They didn't smell like too much gunpowder or anything, but Heero still had the faint trace of smoke on his clothes. Had the man been caught in the fire? But no, the smell would be much stronger if he had. He'd probably just been near it. The idiot.

They heard footsteps, light and steady, and then someone was knocking on the door. "Yuy?"

Trowa was the one to get the door for his partner, the one who stepped aside and let him in. Wufei came in, looked down, and nodded. "I thought there would be heavy carpeting." And the man carried in a huge cardboard… __thing__ , one that was white and flat, and dumped it in the middle of the floor. Trowa blinked at him. Duo raised his head and woofed. "Yes, hello to you, too, Maxwell." The man pulled out these little tube-like things from a bunch of bags and set them down in front of the cardboard before pulling out a bunch of velvet pouches and opening them. "Barton, are you getting anywhere on that thing?" He nodded to Trowa's phone. Duo was so curious he lifted his head.

Trowa shook his head. "No. Thank you for everything, but I have to go. I'll call you if I need anything else." He turned off his phone and tossed it to the bed. "What do you need?"

"Help me sort these." Wufei gave the man a bunch of the sacks. "We need to effectively communicate with Maxwell. These should help."

Duo stood then, coming to investigate. There was a lot of clacking going on inside those little pouches. It took Duo a second to notice that another conspicuous clacking noise was absent – Heero wasn't typing anymore.

Trowa opened one of them and peered inside. "Wufei, you're a genius." He dumped out what looked to be little square pieces of wood. Duo hobbled over and peered down. Scrabble. They were scrabble pieces. He grinned. He could differentiate between the light gray-brown of the tiles and the hard black of the letters. A, S, N, K. He touched one of them, flipping it over with a paw. H.

He panted and nudged the H with his nose.

Trowa caught the movement and nudged Wufei before picking it up and placing it on the cardboard. Duo hunted around, even as Wufei snorted and rolled his eyes. "Give us a few minutes, Maxwell. We still need to set all this up." Duo watched as the man grabbed four more things from one last bag – computer paper, tape, scissors, and a black marker. Heero went back to typing whatever as Wufei went to work writing letters on one piece of computer paper, cutting them out, and taping them all up. Trowa, in turned, put all of the letters into a pile. Duo nudged an E, then an O, and finally pawed another E and R. He rearranged them on the cardboard himself, just to see if he could. It was much easier than he'd thought; apparently the practice with the damn pen and marker had done him some good, after all. In no time the cardboard showed his little message. He panted in happiness.

"Heero," Trowa said quietly, and Duo looked up just as Heero once more turned to them. "It's your name. He wants to speak to you."

Heero looked at Duo, then away. "I don't have time."

Duo panted, happy despite Heero's poor attitude. He turned to Trowa and barked, then started moving around as they continued working. The little things Wufei had gotten turned out to be coin dispensers of some sort; the things had hatches that opened with the press of a finger – or paw – and fed a block through. Duo had doubted they would work until he tried it; apparently there was a weight thing at the bottom that kept feeding until something dropped and moved the scale. Kind've cool. Where the hell had Wufei found them? And how expensive had they been?

Trowa plunked in the blocks he'd sorted, and Duo popped open the first letter he wanted – I.

He kept going as Wufei and Trowa spread the little tiles out further. The man had gotten enough for Duo to write a freaking essay if he so desired – which he didn't – and they took over almost all of the floor working. Quatre came back just as Duo was finishing his message, long before Trowa and Wufei had finished. Heero sighed and stopped typing just long enough to get the door, then returned to his laptop.

"Hi, everyone." Quatre stopped and gasped at the sight of them all on the floor. Duo barked. His stupid tail was wagging. "Duo – oh, Wufei, did you – look–"

And everyone did look; there on the cardboard was Duo's message, one he'd been wanting to give everyone for a while now. He barked again.

"I'm here," Wufei read, and his eyes slid over to Duo. Everyone's did. His tail was going crazy. "Maxwell..."

A tiny sound caught in Heero's throat, and Duo turned to him. Heero's eyes were squinted, his chin high, his lips parted. He looked almost on the verge of tears.

Heero stood and went through the closet to the bathroom.

Duo thought it said something about the opulence of the room that Heero's exit didn't involve having to squeeze past either them or their little cardboard table. Then he found himself whining.

"It's – okay, Duo." Quatre came forward and put a hand on his head. "He's..." But Quatre couldn't find a word that would make Duo feel better, and Duo knew it. There was nothing to make anyone feel better about the fact that their friend was now a dog. Duo tried his damnedest, but he couldn't help but whine again.

* * *

Trowa and Wufei, once they were done, asked Duo to start putting down as much as he could about what happened to him, then went to grab some food. Quatre, meanwhile, had taken up Trowa's place on the phone, and Heero resumed his laptop... whatever-he-was-doing, this time with a feverishness that made Duo's fur stand on end and his muscles stay tensed. Still, he went around pressing switches and nudging tiles until he was almost sick of the process, trying to keep the words as short as possible so as to keep from running out of tiles. Wufei and Trowa returned with what looked to be fast Chinese food – something Wufei didn't seem thrilled with – and handed the food around.

Then it was information-gathering time.

Everyone seemed to lean over all at once, their eyes on Duo's lengthy message. "I can hardly read that," Wufei said, and rolled his eyes. "Maxwell, honestly."

"I went to the house and called Heero," Quatre said. The others stared at him with rather wide eyes. "What? It says, 'I go home cal H.'" Quatre shrugged before continuing. "Drank Gatorade, felt tired and dizzy."

"Where the hell does it say that?" Wufei asked, cutting in. The Chinese man glared down at the message board. "It says, 'drank G, tire a spin.' How the hell can you understand that?"

"Duo sends short messages," Heero said, his first contribution. His gaze was darting over the cardboard. "He goes on to say he sat, ended the call with me and got up to put it away. He fell." Heero's lips parted back, his eyes wide, too, his skin stinking of fear and hatred. "He dropped the phone and couldn't reach it. We saw that when we went to his house – the phone on the floor."

Quatre nodded, beaming. "I guess Duo never sent texts to you two?"

"Of course he did," Wufei said. Trowa finished off his plate while everyone sat, letting their meals get cold. He reached over and plucked a mini-corn-on-the-cob from Quatre's plate. The blond shouted and reached to take it back, but Wufei glared at the two of them, and Quatre settled for glaring at their tallest friend. Trowa popped the cob in his mouth and grinned. "Perhaps he simply felt that a higher level of education would be appreciated from my end."

"Or that you wouldn't understand what it read," Trowa said, winking down at Duo. "As for me, he knew I hate texting, so he simply texted, 'call me,' or, if it was about someone else, simply gave me their name."

Quatre 'oh'ed, but Heero didn't seem to care. "After he dropped the phone, he woke up a dog. He doesn't remember where his clothes went – strange; we didn't see where they'd gone, either – and tells us he'd left his house in order to escape any pursuers. I don't suppose they would have arrived, though, since they'd thought he would either die or disappear." Heero's chopsticks broke. He cursed.

"Here – we brought spares." Trowa reached into a bag and pulled out two more. Heero looked down at them for a moment before taking them and eating. His eyes didn't leave his hand.

"Then he says, 'any questions, ask.' And that's it," Quatre ended. They were all a little quiet then, each eating their own food. Duo watched them and found himself wanting to taste all of it, to gobble up everything they had. He went back to his fountain and drank a little more. It helped with the hunger pangs, and he'd really gotten a workout hobbling three-legged around the cardboard.

"Yes or no questions would be best for a quick discussion," Wufei said finally. "One bark for yes, two for no. That sort of thing."

"First," Quatre said, "from everything we've found through Zechs’ interrogation, Lionel was recruited into Turris for his position in Relena's home and his computing skills, and that he believed a World Nation would crumble to internal conflict and the human desire to war. He believed Turris was saying the same – that humans were arrogantly assuming that they could live harmoniously despite their obviously violent nature. The man doesn't know anything about Turris other than that."

Heero stopped eating and stared at his hand for a while before grabbing a piece of chicken with the chopsticks and bringing it to his lips. At least __one__ organ hadn't been turned canine yet; Duo watched those lips surround that piece of meat and felt a flash of heat from his groin through to the rest of his body.

"Well," Wufei said, picking apart what looked to be a very nasty veggies-in-pasta thing, "since we know the cause, we now have Po and the rest of the lab working overtime to try to find out a way to reverse it. Po believes that if we can use Maxwell's DNA, we should be able to use __it__ as a sort of virus, as well. The only problem is that we'd only have one test subject, and if it fails..." The man let out a long breath. "Needless to say, Po is covering all of the bases. She thinks we might need some of Maxwell's original blood. I don't know that we have that."

"I do."

Everyone turned to Heero. "I do," he said again. "But it's at my house."

Wufei stood, then Trowa and Quatre. Heero looked down, calmly placing his chopsticks on his plate and getting to his feet. "How?" Wufei asked. "Where?"

"Duo and I spar," Heero said. "We did so the night before the bust, in order to release tension. I haven't cleaned my sparring gloves yet, and I caught him on the cheek."

Shit, that was right. Duo had forgotten about that. The blow had been unexpected; he'd basically been staring for a millisecond too long, and with Heero, that was more than enough. His damn mouthpiece had gone flying. The inside of his cheek had bled, and Heero had tried to touch Duo's wound as the blood started dribbling. Duo'd wiped it onto his sleeve and then had promptly forgotten about it; when Heero had made to apologize, Duo had swung a fist and told him to hurry up and fight.

It had gotten on Heero's gloves?

Well, shit. That was kind of awesome.

"We have to get it now," Wufei said, pulling Duo back to the present. Trowa and Quatre nodded. Heero was already heading for the door. Wufei and Trowa followed, but Quatre hesitated. Heero was already out the door before Trowa stopped and turned back. "Quatre?"

Their blond friend was looking at Duo, who sat by his cardboard feeling lost and alone. "We can't leave him here," Quatre said, and came back for him. He looked up as Quatre knelt in front of him. "You're coming with us," Quatre said. "You're still a part of our team. Never forget that."

Trowa came up beside him and picked Duo up, holding him between his front and back legs. Wufei held the door open for them, and Heero, waiting silently at the top of the stairs, looked into Duo's eyes and tilted his head to the door. "Ready?" Heero asked quietly. It was the same word he always asked before they left on a bust – the same as Heero had said the night he'd been changed.

Duo barked.


	8. Every Dog Is Valiant At Its Own Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Duo wants to be human again, there's a certain ingredient needed for the recipe. The pilots head out to get it.

It was hellishly late, almost early, and pre-dawn was getting ready to play with the sky. They went in the two cars, Heero and Quatre taking one, Trowa and Wufei the other. Trowa and Wufei stayed ahead of them as Heero took Duo into his arms, leaving Quatre to take point out of the house for the two. Relena came out just in time to watch their exit with wide eyes. Duo waved a paw just to mess with her, and then they were all in the car and on the road.

Duo was pushed into the back, with Heero given the seat beside him. Heero’s gun was out, his gaze busily scanning the streets. Duo was already annoyed with the whole 'car' thing; yes, his gaze was constantly being pulled to the gas stations and billboards and trees, but honestly, what was so great about a whole bunch of dimly-colored things moving past at sixty, seventy miles per hour? Talk about blah.

"Heero?" Quatre said, calling back without looking behind him.

"Hn?"

"What were you looking for on your computer?"

"Hn." Heero was silent again for a bit, and Duo sent him a warning glare. Really, Heero? __Really?__ "Styx Cafe had a couple of storage areas, along with a few regular suppliers. I checked each."

Quatre hummed and nodded. Maybe it was Duo's imagination, but it felt like Quatre was leaning on the gas pedal a little harder than usual. "And?"

Heero's gaze scanned the view from the side window, then out the back. "Two were suspicious, a supplier and a warehouse near the docks, but without more time, I couldn't say which one hides their laboratory." He turned to look past Duo, out the passenger window beside him. Duo just gave up on seeing anything interesting and laid his head down with a huff. Heero looked at him. "I believe the supplier would be the best of the two; the docks are usually a busy area. Though, as long as one knows what one's doing, busy areas can be perfect places to be overlooked."

"When we get back after this, we should all look," Quatre said. "Once we know for sure where to go, we should head there first."

Heero didn't say anything to that one, but Duo opened one eye in time to see Heero's fingers clench.

* * *

The sky looked a little brighter, though it was still early enough to be gray. Heero's house, when they arrived, was trashed. Trowa and Wufei's car was already in the drive, and gunshots were already playing around the neighborhood. Duo saw a couple neighbors looking out their doors. Idiots.

"Shit," Quatre breathed. Heero was already jumping out of the car, even as it slowed on the drive; he rolled on the lawn and jumped up, running to the house. The front door hung open. Heero slipped through it. Quatre cursed again. "Duo, stay here. Guard the front." And little Quatre grabbed his own gun, wrenched the car into park, and took off after Heero.

Guard the front? Duo huffed and stood, looking down at the ground far below and gulping. Should he put weight on his back leg? Maybe he should rest it until absolutely necessary. But then, could he __really__ make it down to the ground safely without all four feet? He felt like if he tried, he would faceplant. Which would just be perfect in the middle of a battle.

Well, he was nothing if not smart – for now – and he moved from the seat to the floor of the car before moving to the edge of the car and putting just his first two feet on the ground. It made his leg wound stretch like a mother, but it worked, and he only needed his one good hind leg for balance as he let the rest of his body fall. He turned to the house then. He could smell scents that didn't belong. Another dog, a weird shampoo, a weirder soap. Duo leaned down and sniffed. The smells entered the house, but they didn't exit.

That was good. They weren't too late.

Of course, Quatre and Heero had both raced in without thinking about such things as, oh. Kevlar vests.

Duo looked around then. Did the baddies have their car nearby? He could at least stop them there if they did. But what if there was someone in their car waiting for them? As an injured dog, there really wasn't much he could do. He stretched out his leg a bit, trying to ease out the worst of the soreness.

He heard shouts then, more gunshots. They came from the house, up on the second floor. The first shout was followed by a gunshot, then another, then a crashing noise. Quatre shouted something then, something that sounded like, "the back!" And Duo smelled that weird soap again, this time as glass shattered and fell to the ground and a thumping sound spoke of a body landing.

Duo planted his bad leg on the ground and ran after the footsteps as they raced away from the house. His entire body seemed to protest for a second before letting him go. He felt, actually __felt__ , one of his injuries rip open. He wasn't looking forward to Trowa's remedy to that.

The man was a good bit ahead of him as he rounded the house, but even from the huge distance between them, Duo could smell leather in the man's hands. Did that man have Heero's gloves? If so, they were screwed. Duo pushed himself harder.

"Duo!"

He heard Heero's scream just as a gunshot went over his head. The man in front of him grunted, and suddenly Duo could smell blood, and lots of it. But the man didn't stop running. Blood splattered onto the grass, staining it gray, the scent becoming stronger and stronger, until Duo realized that he was running in it, that his leg was leaking, too.

Heero lived in a much more reasonable place than Relena, and there were trees and bushes and buildings to slide around. The man looked back only once. As soon as he saw Duo on his tail, he made a weird, freaked-out sound and went back to running. The man dodged around a second house, in which someone was watching a television broadcast of some morning show, and when Duo turned after the man again, he had altered his approach to his situation. While Duo saw in one of the man's hands what was definitely Heero's sparring gloves, the other held a gun. He pulled his body to the right and heard the bang of the gunshot, felt the air twirl. He landed and leaped again, even as the man aimed a second time, and bit into the man's wrist. He shrieked and dropped the gun. When Duo fell to the ground, the man crashed into the grass. Duo heard a low growling and realized it was him. Heero's gloves fell to the ground.

The man screamed again and pulled against Duo's grip, but he just ground his teeth in further. The man shouted and stilled. Good. They did it. They stopped–

He could smell smoke.

He turned, his doggy eyes wide. The gloves were burning. But how? When?

He pulled the resisting runner with him as he rushed to the gloves and saw the fire flaming up. Beside the gloves was something that smelled of flammable fluid. A lighter. The man had been carrying a lighter? Why the hell hadn't he smelled that? Had the smell of blood really been that distracting?

Shit. Shit! He raised a paw to put it out and the man pulled against him, wrenching Duo’s head around and pulling him just off-balance enough to need to put his paw down again. He snarled. "I won't let you, Duo Maxwell," he said, and Duo saw the man's thick lips pull into a smile. His eyes widened as he grinned. "I won't let you." And he pulled again, rolling his body around until his free hand reached out for his gun. It was still a couple of feet away, but the man seemed ready to lose his whole arm now. His grin became a laugh. "I won't let you. I won't let you!"

Duo growled again, even as the fire caught the rest of the glove and sent its ashes into the dawning sky. He huffed as the smoke entered his nostrils, his mouth. Sneezed. The man tried to pull forward, and for a second the wrist slipped from Duo's grip. He clamped down on it again and felt a small pleasure at the man's cry of pain.

"Duo!" It was Heero.

"He's definitely over there!" Quatre said.

He tried to pull the man back, even as he looked at the gloves. Too late. They were black, cindering, the fire grabbing at the grass and flinching away. The smoke smell was strong, and he realized he was smelling a distinct scent of burning leather, stronger than he'd ever smelled before, so strong it almost smelled like something alien. He tried to turn off the growling, but he couldn't. His teeth dug into the man's wrist so deep he felt blood on his tongue, in his nose. _E_ _ _verywhere__.

"Duo!" Heero shouted again, turning the corner, moving to the smoke before seeing Duo right beside it. His eyes snapped back to the fire, and with a "shit!" he wrenched off his shirt and smothered the flames. More than ever, Duo hated his dog body and his inability to have done the same. If he'd been human, he could have stopped it before it had become too late.

Quatre and Trowa rounded the corner then. Duo couldn't hear Wufei's footsteps; he'd thought there was more than one person in Heero's house, so Wufei was probably dealing with them. Quatre went right up to Heero and grabbed his shoulder. Trowa went up to Duo and pulled out his handcuffs. At least __one__ of them was in uniform. Trowa grabbed the man's still-reaching hand and pulled it around the man's back, and on another cry he lost his balance and his face fell into the grass. Trowa reached for the man's other wrist. He waited patiently as Duo tried to remember which muscles opened his jaws, and then the wrist was pulled to the other and clapped into the handcuffs. The man shouted again as the metal bit into his open wounds. The man's wrist bled freely.

Duo found himself continuing to growl, found his stomach churning at the taste of the man's blood. He lay on the ground and let his tongue fall out. He felt sick. He felt... his gaze slipped to the ashes of Heero's sparring gloves and felt his organs turn to stone.

He got to his feet as Heero kept staring at the smelling wreck of his gloves and barked. It wasn't over yet. Heero's gloves weren't the only things that had yet to be washed. He was a lazy bastard, and his wash was only done once a week, if that. He knew that bloody shirt was still in his house. Somewhere. It wasn't like he __used__ the hamper Heero had given him, a gag gift that Duo hadn't yet managed to live down. As long as the tiniest shred of hope remained, they had to keep moving forward. Right? They were good at doing the impossible, weren't they?

He barked again, finally getting Quatre's attention. Trowa pulled the amateur arsonist up as the blond leaned down in front of Duo. "What is it?"

"You bastards!" Duo's victim shouted suddenly, his voice high. "I won't let you – we won't let you!" He was wriggling like a worm in Trowa's grip. The acrobat looked extremely put-out. "We may have messed up the poison, but we won't lose again! We won't let it happen!"

"Fine." And Trowa put two fingers to the man's neck and waited for the man to droop in his grasp. "If you want to be dead weight, I'll let you."

"I'll... help." And Heero moved from the wreckage of his gloves and went to Trowa's side. "Has Wufei contacted Une?" he asked.

"I think so." Trowa looked to Duo and Quatre. Qat hadn't looked away from Duo's face. "What is it, Quatre?"

"Duo's trying to tell us something. He seems... determined."

Heero hesitated and turned to Duo, but he didn't say a word.

"What is it?" Quatre asked again, and Duo thought for a moment before lifting a paw to his face and covering his muzzle. "Hiding?"

Duo huffed and hobbled three-legged to the side of the house they'd passed when chasing the psycho and put his paw against the wall. "They're hiding in the house?" Quatre sounded confused.

Well, he should be. He was dead wrong. Duo growled and tried again. Dog paws weren't supposed to point to the dog, and he could only cover his muzzle again before rapping the house again and turning to his back leg to get some blood off his nose. Everyone was silent – apparently they had no better guesses than Qat's earlier estimation – until he rubbed his nose again, this time getting the blood on his paw and wiping it on the door. He pointed to the blood.

"I don't get it," Trowa said.

"Blood," Heero breathed then. "He knows where we can find more of his blood."

He barked and raised a paw.

"How?" Quatre asked then. "Where?"

Duo huffed. He thought for a moment before he growled, one long sound, before growling again, then again, before barking and growling some more.

"M-Y-H-O-U-S-E," Heero said, interpreting Duo's attempt at Morse Code, and Trowa 'oh'ed. Then he cursed and ran back the way they'd come. "Quatre, help Trowa." Duo ran after Heero, ignoring the sharp stabs of pain that shot up and down his nerves. They rounded the house again, then the other, then the bushes Duo had avoided earlier due to the buzzing of a few bees inside, and then they were coming to Heero's house and Wufei turned to them as they raced up the backyard.

"Yuy?"

"New lead," Heero said shortly, and Wufei tossed Heero his keys without another word. Heero grabbed them from the air and went to Wufei's car. Wufei was already dragging the man he'd taken care of while everyone else chased the second, pulling him around to Quatre’s car instead of continuing his trek to his own. This guy, almost in exact foil to the first, was short and burly and bald. Duo huffed out a laugh at the sight of Wufei lugging the guy against the hood of Qat's car before he pawed on the passenger-side door. Heero unlocked his side and jumped in, then looked over at Duo as if seeing him for the first time. "You can't come."

Duo huffed and scratched a little harder.

"Maxwell! Don't you leave a mark on that door!"

Duo scratched again.

"Fine!" Heero snapped, and Duo dropped down from the door as Heero leaned over and popped it open. He hopped in as Heero leaned back and started up the car. The engine roared to life as Duo sat, his back leg aching like a mother. Heero leaned over him to close the door. Heero's hair swept onto and past Duo's muzzle, and when the man was fully leaned over, his shoulder was on Duo's chest. With Heero's shirt abandoned to the fire, Duo could feel every muscle in the man's tricep flow. He was __warm__. Shit, was he warm.

Then Heero was sitting straight and pulling away from his house. Duo looked at Wufei and let out a wheeze of a laugh as Wufei got annoyed with the captured man in his hands and karate chopped him into unconsciousness. Wufei looked up just in time to see it, and Duo thought he saw the man roll his eyes. He couldn't be sure; by that time Wufei was too far away, and his outline was a bit blurry.

Then they were once more on the road and, now that the adrenaline was starting to fade a bit, the pain in his leg was becoming rather epic. He found himself whining and tried to bite down on the urge. All it did was make his whines drag into lower, longer whines. Damn vocal cords.

"Status?" Heero asked, and Duo used his new Morse Code method of communication to respond with a 'my leg hurts.' Heero snorted softly, nothing more than a light exhalation, and Duo looked up to see the man's eyes soften. "Of course it does, idiot. You ran off down the yard without thinking about your injury."

Duo growled and barked until Heero got his message. "No," Heero said, and the man was almost smiling, "we could have handled it. I was about to jump out of the window after him. You just decided to be reckless, as usual."

Duo huffed. 'Your mom,' he growl-barked, and Heero outright grinned for a second. The man's entire body seemed to relax. His dark blue eyes almost seemed to be glittering. "Duo, try to take this seriously, if that's not too hard." Duo let his tongue roll out and hit the radio button – which he usually did when Heero got too preachy.

He heard that breathy laugh again.

He looked up, but Heero was already swallowing it back, almost like his laughter was somehow viral. He pressed down a little harder on the gas pedal. "Shit," he said, then again, "shit!"

Duo looked out the front window then. As the radio went on about how much the DJ wanted a couple more hours of sleep, Duo caught sight of some sort of cloud, some mass of gray. It was smoke. Again? That much meant... he barked. His house! Was it his house that was up in flames?

One more turn said yes, it was. Heero cursed again, then jerked the car to a stop. The flames were bursting out of the windows in waves of red-gray, the tint almost making it look less threatening than it had to be. Duo barked and followed after Heero as he opened his door and stepped out, already making his way to the building. People were coming out of their homes – what was it with civilians and their stupidity? – and staring, gawking. Some woman screamed. Some kid cheered.

Heero ignored it all, only racing forward to Duo's house like he was going to go inside.

"Hold it!" A man stepped in front of Heero and put a hand up. Heero simply moved around the man, but he stepped in front of Heero again. The guy was tall and smelled of frosting. The wedding cake maker from across the street. That's who he was. Mr. Levingson or something. "Don't – the fire's already out of control–"

Duo barked and ran to the door. "Duo – Duo, don't!"

"Duo?" Mr. Levingson asked, and looked around. Duo heard Heero hurrying after him. He pawed at the door, but it was locked. He went to a window then, one of the ones far enough from the fire to still be intact, but Heero was already there. He turned his face from the window and elbowed it with his unclothed arm. Duo yelped, but turned from the window, as well. Glass tinkled and the smell of blood once again filled Duo's nose. He turned back in time to see Heero use his bloody elbow to clear off the sides of the window. Mr. Levingson shouted at them and came toward Heero again. Duo barked and jumped, scrabbling on the sill until he was inside. His paws got scraped up again, but Heero had done a good job using himself as a pincushion, and Duo wasn't all that injured. Heero yelled for him again, then shouted at Levingson. Duo could bet he was pulling out his Preventors badge. He could also already imagine how much Levingson would give a damn about the thing.

Duo had to find that shirt.

He sniffed the air, but all he could smell was smoke. Gray-tinged fire attacked him from all sides, climbing the walls, grabbing at the sofa and chair and licking up the curtains. The corner of the room acted as his dining room, and the heat seemed greatest there. But that was where the bedrooms were, behind there, and he __had__ to get through. He panted and looked to the window, but Heero hadn't come through yet. Maybe that was a good thing. He could stay back while Duo ran around searching for something that may already be ash.

He jumped through some of the grayish light and landed on the floor, his paws hot on the carpet. Something creaked, warning of failing beams, and he knew anything with cloth was probably gone. He looked, anyway, running to his bedroom and looking around. The room was trashed, the bed and dresser in flames. If the shirt had been in there, it was long gone. Nothing was left untouched there. Maybe __that__ was where the damn fire had been started. Whatever; it didn't matter. He had his guest room between it and the bathroom, which led to the laundry room. Two more viable options.

He ran through the hallway and thought he heard his name being called. Heero? He turned for a moment and barked, then wheezed. He found out then that dogs couldn't cough. He put more weight on his bad leg and sunk to the floor, doing a belly crawl across the floor, rather surprised he could pull the move off. The bathroom door was open, but the flames hadn't gotten to it yet; they'd gone instead to the little nightstand sort of table on the left of his bedroom door and had spread to the dining room via that. The carpet was flickering little flames, but his body was able to put them out. He whined at the heat on his belly, in his fur, and panted like hell as he entered the bathroom. A pile of clothes sat on the floor, but one quick search and a few almost-useless sniffs told him the shirt wasn't in the pile. He moved on to the laundry room and heard another ominous crack.

"Duo!"

That was definitely Heero. He heard the man's voice as if from far away, as the snaps and crackles of the gray fire around him sparked and split and snarled. He barked again before moving on once more, knowing he was being stupid. He stopped long enough to test the bathtub faucet with a quick paw before biting it and pulling the thing out as far as he could and plugging the stopper in the tub. Then he hunkered back down to the ground and moved off to the laundry. The fire hadn't reached this room at all, but the smoke was thick, without any door or window to use as an escape hatch. It was a dead-end room, one he never really liked for that exact reason. He sniffed again, but it only started that weird woofing sort of hacking. He touched the clothes and moved them around, but one quick search showed him nothing. He heard Heero shout again, his voice much more high-pitched. He barked again and turned to go back to Heero.

There.

He turned back to the laundry room, his dog eyes wide. He could see a pair of pants hanging behind the washer and remembered, like a flash of genius, his annoyance with his own actions, how he'd come back from the practice cursing himself. After all, what would he have done if Heero had caught him looking? No explanation could have fooled Heero. He would have known. Duo had been so upset with himself he'd thrown his clothes off before stepping into the shower. He remembered stepping under the spray, his eyes catching where his clothes had landed and wanting to laugh at himself. Of course it would go back there, where he would have to work to get it back. Every time he got angry, his own reaction would make his life harder...

Behind the washing machine.

His stupid shirt was behind the washing machine.

He ran toward it, his only thought of wrapping it up in his teeth. With one paw, he pulled it out from behind the machine – now the metal was getting painfully hot – and he managed to reach it with his muzzle just as Heero burst into the room, coughing and shouting for him again, only to cut himself off and look down. Duo turned to him and saw a furious face change into a wide-eyed stare. Heero stood there for a half-second, simply looking down at Duo and the white shirt in his mouth, one splotched slightly with gray. "It..."

The crack sounded again before a horrible splintering sound wrenched past the sounds of the fire's roars. Heero looked back and up, toward the sound, and cursed before diving for Duo, curling Duo against his chest and he fell to the ground.

Pain spiked up and down his leg. The cracking screech of the support beams ripped around them, and Duo felt suffocated by Heero's heat, even as Heero's arms wrapped tight around his doggy body and pulled him closer, one hand ducking Duo's head into Heero's chest. He could smell Heero's scents, even as the smoke burned past his throat and choked his lungs. He whimpered as the world was shut off from him, nothing more than the smells of smoke and flames and the sounds of the world falling apart. It was hot. It was too damn hot. He wanted to shed his fur, to bathe in ice... he felt Heero's hands shift around him and just barely remembered to clamp his jaw around his shirt as Heero lifted him up and carried him. Duo opened his eyes, but all he could see was gray, gray smoke everywhere. Heero ran toward their exit, but Duo already knew it was too late. Backtracking, Heero moved into the bathroom. Suddenly Duo heard the sounds of splashing, and then Heero was stepping into the tub and took the shirt from Duo's clenched jaw, and the fire around them screamed and the house fell apart. The water on his fur was cool, blessedly cool, and Duo sank into it, still panting.

He heard Heero when he said, his voice strong despite their situation, "we'll make it through."

He let Heero take point and made it his job to not pass out.

* * *

The firefighters were rather surprised to find them alive. They were led out of the house as it sizzled and popped. Other firefighters still hosed the house down while others went through clearing off the parts they'd managed to isolate. Heero, with Duo and the shirt both in hand, was led to a piece of the wall the firefighters had managed to break open, past the fire still raging in the dining room and bedroom. They hardly got through the threshold before Quatre was running up to them, the blond already shouting their names. Heero nodded to him and looked down at Duo. "Status?" he asked quietly. Duo heard a hoarseness that said the man had been in the smoke too long. He whined. "Vet," Heero said, and made to go to his car.

"We'll take the dog," the firefighter said. "You need to go to the hospital."

Heero's arms wrapped tighter around Duo. "No. He stays with me."

Quatre took the shirt from Heero's hand before it could get soaked by Duo's fur. Duo had no idea how Heero had managed to keep it safe, but he could tell by the scent of Heero's skin that he'd paid for it in burns. How bad were they?

"I'll take them," Quatre said. "They're with me."

"Mr. Winner," the firefighter started, but Quatre was already pulling out his phone.

"Une, what's your ETA?"

Heero sighed and sat down, right there on Duo's front yard. "My gun," he said, and Levingson came up from the crowd of spectators on the sidewalk, silently giving it to Heero. "Thank you," he said, his voice a bit stiff. Levingson didn't deign to answer, only touching Heero's shoulder for a moment before moving off again.

"Less than five minutes," Une told Quatre.

Duo struggled to his feet, pushing against Heero's hands. He was too hot, and his lungs felt unnaturally thick. Heero fought against him for a moment before letting go and looking at Duo with furrowed brows. Duo simply moved to Heero's side, hobbling as best he could, almost falling, until finally giving up and laying down beside him. His bad leg felt stiff as a rock, his injuries practically cauterized in place due to the damn heat. He panted in loud puffs, sometimes making a strange, deep noise, like he was hacking up a hairball. Or a lung. He laid his head on the grass and let the tiny drizzle of the firefighters' hoses touch his burning skin. The grass in front of his eyes danced.

"There's something wrong," Heero said, looking over to Quatre, even though the blond was still on the phone. Quatre was tapping a foot. "There's something wrong with him."

"I know," Quatre said, and Heero hissed. "Une, we're going to Po. She's in the building, right?"

"Yes; she slept on the couch in the lobby. She should be in the lab," Une said on the other side of the line.

"Tell her to go to her medical office." Quatre ended the call before turning to Heero. "Let's go. I'll call Trowa to meet with us. He's not licensed, but they don't get much better than him."

"I know," Heero said, and though Duo knew it was coming, he whined when Heero wrapped his arms around him and lifted him into the man's arms. Normally he would be happy about the feel of those muscles flexing on him, of the chest on his body and the heartbeat he could hear dully beneath Heero's ribcage. But now it was too sweltering, too encompassing. His whine was long, and only broke when he hack-huffed again.

"His lungs have probably inhaled too much smoke," Quatre said. "He may have carbon monoxide poisoning."

Heero took Duo with him to the front seat and laid him in his lap. Shit. Normally, Duo would be thrilled to be there, feeling Heero's thighs clench slightly as he grabbed his seatbelt and buckled himself in. But it was too damn __hot__. He whined again and laid his head on the armrest between the seats. It was cool for a moment as Quatre started up the car, but then his body heat made it hot and he was __dying__. He whined piteously, then hack-huffed. And then went right back to whining.

Quatre leaned over and turned on the air, full-blast, before turning the temperature down so low he felt goosebumps flash over Heero's skin.

It felt wonderful.

"Duo, try to turn your head to the cold air." Quatre adjusted the fans to aim straight for Duo's face. He turned to them and huffed before relaxing. It felt __so__ good. Heero lifted his hands from around Duo and pulled them back, away from Duo's body. He was happy for the loss of heat, even though it meant a distance between the two of them. Quatre waited for a moment, listening, perhaps, to Duo's emotions (or however he did it) before pulling the car out of the lot. Duo looked around, for once able to really take in what was around him, but from where his head was positioned on the arm rest, all he could see were flashing lights, one blue, one red-gray, and the red-gray looked too much like the fire. At least, apparently, daylight had broken at some point.

Speaking of, he was really sleepy.

He heard more as they pulled away, heard people talking, heard firefighters shouting to each other. Heard the fire popping and hissing as it finally lost the battle. Heard the air conditioning as it flapped over his skin enough to make his ears pull back slightly. He could smell, too, though nothing out-scented the smells of blood and smoke. Heero hardly smelled of his soap and shampoo, and hell if Duo could smell the usual wood scent. Everything was bathed in smoke and fire. At least Quatre smelled of his usual baby powder and cologne. Duo leaned his nose just that little bit closer to the blond and opened his mouth to the cold air. Quatre was shivering in the car, but the man didn't falter on the wheel. Duo swallowed the air greedily.

"How did you get to the house, Quatre?" Heero asked.

"Trowa and Wufei dropped me off. They almost stayed, but I told them I could feel the two of you – I hadn't known you were in the building. The crowd had gotten too big. If I had–"

"No," Heero said, "you did the right thing. We need those two men."

"They're at Preventors by now," Quatre said.

Duo gulped down so much cold air he thought his stomach had to be full of the stuff, yet he didn't feel like he was getting enough. His body stank of smoke, and his tongue burned with the taste of it, mixing with the cotton of the shirt and the blood of the man he'd chased. He could still smell Heero's burned skin and felt his stomach churn slightly as he thought of what Heero might have sacrificed to get that damn shirt. Was there serious tissue damage? Nerve damage?

Duo turned from the fan for a moment to whine at Heero, looking him over. He thought he smelled the burns on Heero's hands, on his back. How bad was it? Dammit, if Duo had just been __human__...

"I'm fine, Duo. Turn back to the fan."

Duo huffed, then hacked a little bit and gave up, doing as Heero ordered without complaint for once. Dammit, he was useless as a dog. Whoever said being a dog would be great obviously hadn't thought of the uselessness of the body. Or maybe, he sighed, it was just that he was used to being able to do what humans did. What would a dog have done in the situation they'd been in? Would a natural dog have done it better?

"Heero, how bad are your injuries?" Quatre asked. Duo heard the sound of the car's blinker. He tried to dredge up an image of the roads that led from his house to Preventors, but his brain was still a little foggy. He felt a frisson of cold travel up his back, pooling in his gut, before he assured himself that a foggy mind was natural after a loss of oxygen. He was okay. He was still human. For now.

"I'm fine," Heero said, but Duo huffed again and Heero relented. "I have minor punctures and lacerations on my right arm from the window, and I have first degree burns on my neck and hands. I also most likely have a second-degree burn on my back from a fallen cinder." Duo whined and huff-coughed again. "It's all right, Duo. You saved it. The shirt." Duo smelled an emotion akin to joy on Heero's skin, deeper than the burns, covered enough for Duo to lose the name of it before it could cement in his mind.

"But how did they know about the gloves if they didn't get the shirt?" Quatre asked. Duo heard a change in the environment around them and sighed. They were in the Preventors parking garage again.

"That's simple. They have most likely noted our habits for some time now." Heero's lips thinned. "For whatever reason, they remembered Duo's original DNA and found a need to get rid of it. They most likely saw our fight before the bust and saw the injury I gave him, and so went after the gloves."

Duo whined, then barked, over and over again, before whining once more. He huff-coughed halfway through the message and had to wait to send the rest. His last whine petered off at the end, but Heero's eyes were already narrowed. Quatre's hands clenched around the wheel.

"If you're right," Heero said, then started again. "If they know that you're a dog, Duo, then our time is up."

* * *

Wufei and Trowa waited for them just inside the entrance, and once again the group huddled around Duo, playing bodyguard, acting like Duo was the mafia leader. If it wasn't so ridiculous, it would be funny. Away from the cold fans in the car, Duo was starting to feel a little warm again, though it wasn't as bad as it had been. His lungs, though still fighting for air, weren't so heavy anymore. The floor even stayed where it was, no longer trying to tilt onto its side.

They walked through the lobby, past a small group of people walking into the building, several with coffee in their hands. Though smoke still tainted his olfactory sense, Duo could smell a strong black coffee next to an espresso, next to someone who apparently only wanted a dab of coffee to go with their sugar. Duo wrinkled his nose at the smell. Just past the lobby, through a door Trowa opened with his Preventors ID, Sally met up with them and led them silently to her examination room. The table had already been lowered, and Heero laid Duo down on it before sitting in a chair. Quatre went past them and put the bloodied shirt on Sally's desk. Duo took a deep breath. Of course Sally would smell of antiseptic, with only a hint of her shampoo underneath. He thought he could smell lotion on her hands, too, and remembered her admitting to lathering her hands to keep them from drying out from the gloves she always had to wear.

"Heero Yuy, why are you not in the hospital?" It was the first thing the woman said to any of them, and she did so while grabbing a bunch of gadgets. Duo chose to not pay attention to what she got and simply hoped they were for Heero and not him.

"Not going," Heero said, and the woman snorted.

"As your official Preventors doctor, I order you to go to the hospital." Sally came back over to all of them, but instead of stopping in front of Duo, she moved to Trowa and handed over... whatever it was that the woman had grabbed. "Wufei, go with him and make sure he gets checked out, won't you?" She turned to him as Trowa bent over Duo before walking over to her desk. Trowa unplugged Sally's little fan as she stooped in front of Heero. "We will take care of Duo until you return. Even if you don't trust me, Trowa Barton and Quatre Winner will guard over him. You're useless to everyone as you are now."

Heero hesitated. Trowa carried the fan back over to Duo, and Quatre moved forward to plug it into the wall.

"You're useless to him like this, Heero."

Heero's gaze turned to Duo just as Trowa turned on the fan. The breeze was wonderful. Better, Sally's penchant for keeping the exam room just that bit cooler was, for once, useful. He would never again joke about Sally enjoying seeing men's balls shrink before her eyes. "Fine." Heero grumbled and stood.

"Good." That accomplished, Sally turned back to Duo. "Why thank you, you two, for asking for my permission."

"You're welcome," Trowa said absently, and turned Duo's face to the fan. Duo gulped down the air again and felt a little like a drowning man. "I know that there are stories of dog heroes, Duo," he said, "but dogs are easily susceptible to overheating and heat stroke. Running into a fire like that is suicidal enough without the added complication of being a dog."

Duo whined, unhappy with the reminder, even if he'd just been telling himself the same damn thing all day.

Heero walked over to Duo and looked down at him. Duo turned his gaze from the fan. "I'll be back soon," Heero said. He hesitated for a moment more before turning and leaving the room. Duo watched him go, ignoring the fan for a moment. He whined again before returning to the fresh air.

"As for the three of you," Sally said then, planting a hand on each hip, "you'd better be honest with your injuries. I can easily have you strip."

Wufei slipped out of the room on a clean bill of health, the cheat, chasing after Heero, and Quatre admitted to a cut on his arm that was bleeding slightly. Sally patched him up while Trowa looked at Duo's leg and hissed, then tallied up his other injuries – a few bruises, small lacerations on the pads of his paws, and what looked to be a small scorch mark on his muzzle and front left paw. It was most likely from reaching behind the washing machine for the shirt. Trowa said the burns weren't serious, but the back leg was really bad. The fire had only made Duo's reopened wounds all the worse. Trowa was about ready to put a cast on Duo's leg to keep him from running. Duo barked and tried to growl, but his throat protested and he was left gulping in air. Trowa grimaced and acquiesced to Duo's wants.

It took a while, but finally Duo was able to breathe without gasping, and he almost felt like he wasn't dying of heat stroke anymore. Of course, that would be when Trowa started his little torture routine. Quatre helped him with that. Duo just squinted his eyes through it and whined like a heating unit through the entire ordeal. He felt strange the entire time. It wasn't until Trowa was ordering him to stop being stupid while bandaging him up __again__ that he noticed. Heero wasn't by his side. For the first time, Duo was on a hospital table without Heero beside him.


	9. Going to the Dogs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Murphy's Law continues to suck.

Despite himself, Duo fell asleep. It was strange; dogs slept a bit differently than humans. What would have been comfortable for people wasn't for dogs, and he found himself moving one back paw – usually his injured one – into the damn air to show off his balls. He always readjusted at that point. Quickly. But still.

He vaguely heard sounds as he faded in and out, unable to get himself to fully wake up. Quatre was talking, keeping his voice low, most likely knowing how close to wakefulness Duo crept. Sally's voice was the one that kept raising him from sleep, what kept saving him from raising his back paw in the sky. Her voice was brisk, and in the silence of the room, it seemed loud. Duo heard her heels click against the linoleum flooring, and then the woman was gone. He should have been more interested in that. He wasn't.

He only roused when other voices came into the room; a deep, strong timbre entered the room and hushed immediately. Duo blinked open his heavy lids and yawned.

"Good afternoon, Duo," Trowa said, his voice quiet. Amused. Duo shot him a sleepy glare. Heero and Wufei were back, Wufei moving over to Quatre and speaking with the blond by Sally's desk. Heero stopped speaking to Trowa and turned to Duo. "Are you hungry?" Trowa continued. "Do you need to go outside?"

Duo shifted a little and barked once, a tiny little woof. It hurt a little coming out, but on the whole, he felt a lot better. He moved to get up and found Heero once more coming toward him. He huffed and laid his head back down, just rolling his eyes up to look at Heero. "I'll take him out."

"I'll go with you," Quatre offered. "That way Wufei can go to Sally and help her."

Wufei nodded and moved to get the door. Trowa shoved off of the wall, uncrossed his arms, and sighed. "I will speak with Une, then. She'll be annoyed that none of us went to update her."

Duo huffed out a laugh at that. Trowa was willing to throw himself into the furnace? Whatever for?

"Besides," Trowa said, "we have to go to those two areas. We'll do better if we split up and take others with us."

Eh? They hadn't found out which of the two – storage or supplier – was the lab? That was surprisingly inefficient of them. Of course, Heero had been in the hospital, and Wufei, for whatever reason, had stayed with him. What had Trowa and Quatre done with the time?

Duo barked then, whined, barked some more. Heero lifted him up and carried him out as he did. "What about you?" Wufei huffed, going with them to the lobby. Trowa trailed along behind, hands in pockets. "You will be staying here, of course, unless we can take you back to the Peacecraft home."

Duo growled. It tickled his throat.

"Enough, Duo," Heero said. Duo looked up. Even though the words were harsh, his voice had been quiet when he'd spoken. "You're injured. Besides, Sally is going to be working on the cure, and Wufei is going to be helping her. If they manage to get it finished before we return, you need to be here."

Duo growled again. He knew it for the bull it was.

Wufei and Trowa broke off from them as Heero and Quatre continued down the hall to the side exit. Both took the stairs up, unwilling to chance the elevator. Everyone was tense. Duo could feel the cords of Heero's muscles as he carried Duo outside. They stayed close to the building, though Quatre was kind enough to demand Duo be allowed to use a bush beside the entrance. Duo did his business, glad his cheeks couldn't pink as the unmistakable sounds of his actions thundered in his ears. Neither Quatre nor Heero said anything as they carried Duo back to Sally's room and the antiseptic smell. It was starting to cling to Qat's skin, fighting with the scent of baby powder.

Then Duo was back on the damn table and Quatre and Heero were choosing which of the two buildings they would bust. He wished, more than anything, that he was stronger. If only he was stronger. Even if he was trapped in the body of a dog, he could at least help if it weren't for his stupid bum leg. And now, with more cuts on his feet and burns and his stupid problem with his throat, he was a short step from being an invalid. Even as a human, he wouldn't be allowed to accompany Heero on any assignments. He would be stuck at the desk, griping and whining about Heero getting all the fun. And just like now, he would be worrying about his partner.

But what the hell could he do about it?

He listened as Heero and Quatre planned both their attack – they chose the warehouse on the docks – and Wufei's and Trowa's, who were apparently going to be stuck with the supplying facility. They were a good way apart from one another, the warehouse on the edge of the city, by the water, and the supply store on the outskirts closer to Heero's and Duo's houses, settled in a niche of motels and a small, closed shopping center. Honestly, the second one seemed the most plausible of the two. Heero was usually Mr. Calmly Violent. Why wasn't he picking that other one?

Well, whatever. Duo found himself getting sleepy again and laid his head down. What the hell was he going to do for them? He couldn't... even...

He raised his head. Moth balls and foot cream?

He turned his head and barked, looking toward Sally's door. Among all the smells from the lobby, he could definitely smell those old man smells. And there was just the tiniest hint of baby poop on him. Duo barked again. The old man was here? Why?

Everyone pulled out their guns like it was some freaking staged coordination or something, Heero placing Duo back down in order to grab his. Duo Morse Coded Kelas' name and waited as Trowa and Wufei put away their weapons. Quatre and Heero both hesitated. "He's tense," Quatre said, and Duo wanted to roll his eyes. No, shit? Ex-military surrounded by guys with guns. It made Duo tense every once in a while, too, and he freaking worked there.

After a moment, Quatre put his gun away. He gave a short sigh. Heero put his weapon down, as well, though his shoulders tensed even more at the move. He kept his arm loose, ready to grab the gun up as soon as he had the chance.

"I'll see what's going on," Trowa said. With that, he left. Heero watched Wufei's partner as he left the room and walked down the hall. Duo sniffed the air as it whooshed in. Not only was Kelas in the building, he was carrying a gun. There seemed to be a small ruckus going on, too. Duo whined. What the hell was going on?

Heero went back over to him and stood by his side. Together they watched Quatre fill Wufei in on the plans he and Heero had made. Wufei began murmuring a few potential alternatives, only to stop short as the smell of foot cream got stronger and footsteps could be heard in the hall. The old man looked rather disturbed as he was led into the room, Trowa on one side and Une on the other. Duo, unsurprised due to the incoming smell of lotion and roses, simply dropped his head down and huffed. The others had a small whiff of surprise on them. "What's going on?" Heero asked. Those deep blue eyes cornered Kelas.

The old man put up his hands. "I didn't know you were agents," he said. "I'd only known you were in trouble, and the police didn't listen to an old man talking about a dog being shot at." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. The old man looked a little older now, strangely enough, and his eyes caught on Duo. "Ah. You're here." He walked forward, but Heero placed himself in-between the two of them and he had to stop. Duo looked at Heero and growled. Heero's eyes only narrowed further. "I'm glad you're all right," the old man said to Duo, anyway, and turned to Heero. "So you're the owner?"

"Yes," Heero said, teeth gritted. The old man didn't bother holding out his hand for a handshake, so at least Heero couldn't have been just that little bit ruder.

"I'm glad." The man let out a sigh.

"And why were you carrying an armed weapon into my building?" Une asked, her hands on her hips.

The man rolled his shoulders and looked around. "I don't like this room," he said, then, "I'm afraid the shots fired at my home have left me a bit edgy." The old man shrugged. "I haven't been able to leave my gun out of reach since."

Duo whined again.

"If you don't mind," Une said, "I would like you to give me a formal statement."

The old man stood a bit straighter, and Duo got a short whiff of something. A shot of nerves? "I understand."

And so, with that little escapade completed, Une left with Kelas, sending a warning message to all of them as she did. Trowa waited until the door closed and the two were out of sight before speaking. "That gun of his caused a scene, but apparently it's all been settled now." Trowa leaned back against the wall. His one visible eye flickered to Quatre, whose brow furrowed. Duo huffed at the silent communication. "All that's left is for us to go and find the lab. Correct?"

"Yes." Quatre took point as he spoke. "Heero and I are going to go to the docks, since we aren't a usual pair. Hopefully, you two will be finding the lab. If not, we each have five agents coming with us. Heero will be going through the front for us, and I'll be at the back. Trowa's front on his end, and Wufei found an entrance on the second floor for him to take. Is all this acceptable?"

Duo couldn't help but notice that, though everyone's eyes flickered to him, they were all deliberately turned slightly away from him. Just in case he felt it necessary to talk, they were telling him not to. Because he would be against their doing everything while he sat safely at Preventors. He growled at them.

"We'll be back soon," Heero said then, turning to him. Those eyes seemed to burn.

Just like that, Duo gave his consent. How couldn't he, with everyone so adamant on saving him?

Everyone prepared to leave, Heero and Wufei going up to grab their vests and coming back down with a slice of turkey and Wufei grumbling about having stolen a coworker's meal. Heero merely held it for Duo as the others suited up. Duo looked at it for a moment, thinking he was surely delusional. Heero wasn't expecting him to... to eat out of his hand... was he? "Would you prefer I put it on this table?" Heero asked, almost as if reading his mind. He almost wanted to say yes, that surely the table was clean. But he'd been laying on it, and his blood and fur and maybe other weird dog things were on it, and... well, he might as well enjoy what was offered, right? Even if it would widen the chasm between them later.

Maybe he was just stupid?

He nibbled on the edge that hung over Heero's hand, but his doggy tongue was long and he ended up licking Heero, anyway. He tried to tell himself that he'd deliberately licked Heero before, and Quatre, and even Wufei, as hilariously fun as that had been. This wasn't any different. In fact, this was more acceptable – he was eating. Tongues were involved in the process.

But then he had to eat straight from Heero's hand and hell if he could play that evasion dance game anymore.

The turkey, by the way, had mustard on it. The detail seemed a little insignificant as compared to tasting Heero's skin when he pulled the meat from his partner's hand. The others seemed to be very carefully not paying attention to what he and Heero were doing. Duo didn't know whether he should be grateful or humiliated. His body decided on both. Thank goodness dogs didn't blush. Felt like they did, though, Maybe the skin turned, and the fur stayed the same. Whatever. Heero couldn’t see it, and that was what mattered.

Heero pulled away and wiped his hand on his pants before grabbing his own Kevlar vest and putting it on, acting as if absolutely nothing had happened. Well, Heero __had__ instigated it. The man probably __didn't__ think anything of it.

After they were all ready to go, each looked at Duo one last time, each with varying degrees of determination, before heading to the door. Heero and Quatre were the last through, and Heero stopped just long enough to tell Duo to "stay put and don't move." Quatre went up and hugged him.

"Don't worry. We'll fix this."

Then they were both gone, too. Trowa put a hand on Quatre's shoulder for a short moment before letting it drop. Both smelled faintly of sadness.

Great. And once again, he was left to fend for himself. Fun galore.

There was, of course, nothing to do but go back to sleep. He was stuck on the table – probably on purpose, those jerks – and couldn't rightly get down without tearing up his bad leg, maybe even permanently, at this point. Those shitheads. But when he was practically force-fed the order to sleep, he never could. And his mind was playing with him too much. Should he worry that Wufei had gone out on a mission instead of staying with Sally in the Preventors laboratory? Or should he be happy about it? Just what could they do? They had some of the original poison, obviously, since they'd rounded up all the crap from everyone's houses. And now they had some of Duo's blood. All very good things. Apparently.

He looked down at his paw and adjusted slightly until he was a little more comfortable, no longer needing to worry about the guys seeing. He kept his back legs firmly to one side, however, more concerned about Sally coming in with his 'nads in the air. Not like there was much to see. When he'd eaten from Heero's hand, he'd only felt a few short twitches from his... well, he didn't get fully excited. Not like before, when almost anything had gotten him wishing he had pants again. That was scary. It was leaving him. But his mind – his mind still felt fully human, at least, and for that, he was happy. He wasn't completely canine yet.

He leaned his head on his paw and looked around. He was almost used to the gray tint and the odd focus his eyes had. They didn't have the same vision as humans, but if anything so much as twitched, his gaze caught it. Someone walked past Sally's office and kept right on walking, but hell if Duo didn't see the person's every move, the short flutter of the tight business skirt. The clacking of those heels might as well have been falling missiles. Her hair bounced. She smelled like vanilla extract. But he couldn't tell if she was a dirty blond, blond, or strawberry tinted. Her hair was yellow-gray. That's all he knew. Hell, maybe it was naturally graying. He wouldn't know.

He'd finally resigned himself to sleep, his last sight his own damned paw, when he smelled something far away, something full of sulfur and...

His leg pulled and wrenched as he jumped to the floor and ran, but stopped still at the door. He didn't have his damn ID. He hadn't had it for days. It had been in his house. His clothes hadn't been found. His clothes... with his ID. But why hadn't he seen his clothes? What the hell...?

He scratched at the door and barked, over and over again. He scraped at the glass. When it all failed, he ran to the phone on Sally's desk and leaned up. His lack of finesse sent the thing crashing to the floor, and he feared having broken the damn thing. But no; it turned on when he told it to, and he managed to press the extension for Une with his nose. She picked up on the second ring, and Duo just had the chance to bark before a crashing boom rent the air. Duo barked again and ran off. He'd smelled it, dammit. He'd smelled the sulfur and metal of the hand-made grenade, the glue and still-cooling of the metal. He went back to the door and scratched it again. This couldn't be a coincidence. Even from where he stood trapped, he could smell the unmistakable scents of acids and bases and the contained, antiseptic smell of the lab. Sally had been in there, along with other orderlies. Not to mention the shirt and poison. It wasn't a coincidence. It all led to those who had attacked him. Turris.

Duo jumped up and grabbed the door handle with the teeth, but the effort was less than useless, and he fell again. He couldn't call the guys while they were in the middle of a bust; he couldn't risk it. What was left, then? Call the extension for the lab? Une or Jessica or someone else would already be on that. Duo had to find the one with the scent still on him. He needed to get the hell out so he could. But even though several people passed Sally's office, none stopped to let him out. They were all screaming and shouting, with only a few stolid people calling out for order. Everyone was rushing to the nearest exit. Duo strained his senses where he stood, smelling a scorched scent that came from his back leg. Apparently the fire had helped cauterize the wounds a bit, for better or for worse.

Duo sniffed, but everyone smelled only of sweat and smoke and fear. Some people didn't have much of a smell, and Duo finally realized that the rooms and halls outside had activated their sprinklers, and the water was washing away the scents. Duo strained even harder then, but he couldn't smell much passed the hall. He huffed. Inside the room, the phone rang. He looked for a moment longer before retreating to the phone and turning it on, hoping Une was on her way.

"Duo, I was hoping you would have the sense not to answer the phone," Heero said. Duo yipped in happiness. Just who he needed to talk to! "We didn't find anything in either place. They'd both been cleaned out – apparently Turris is ready to run away. We're all heading to the main restaurant now."

Duo stopped then as he prepared to tell Heero what had happened. Could he bother Heero with this when he was obviously fighting to find what Duo desperately needed? Duo hesitated.

"Is everything okay?" Heero asked.

Duo barked once and stopped.

Heero was silent on the other end. "The truth, Duo."

Great. He thought fast and Morse Coded a quick 'bored.' He looked back out the room, but no one was there now. He couldn't smell anything anymore. He whined before he could stop it.

"We'll be back soon," Heero promised, misunderstanding Duo's message. "And whether we get the antidote or not, we'll find those responsible for this and get them to help us."

Duo whined again. They were already here.

"We'll be fine." And Heero hung up.

Great. Wonderful. Perfect. Duo stared at the phone for a short moment before returning to the door. Neither Sally nor Une would be thrilled with the scratches he'd put on the door, but at the moment, he couldn't care less. He couldn't smell anything but water, which didn't smell like much at all. Water and, when he pushed his senses as far as he could, more of that busted chem lab smell. He barked again and scratched up the door, not knowing what else to do.

Then he smelled it, coming up to him. Cooling metal and sulfur. He backed away as it came to the door, the water tingeing the scents to a clear, almost nonexistent sheen. Washing away the evidence? Looking for an exit?

No. No, that wasn't it. The enemy was looking for him.

Duo hunched his shoulders and pulled his head low, tensing his leg muscles, ready to pounce. But if the enemy had a gun, he should hide, shouldn't he? He was always more a stealth type.

He rushed to the door and turned off the light, then sneaked to the side and once again got ready to pounce. He could see almost perfectly in the room despite the lost light, and as the bulky shadow came closer, he could make out the height and shape. And he could smell, beneath the sulfur and metal and smoke and water, the lingering scents of moth balls and foot cream.

He froze.

The man used an ID to unlock the room, and Duo moved on instinct, falling into the soldier he'd been and ignoring the gibbering foolishness of his mind. He reached up for the man's left hand, where he smelled the gun, and bit down on it. The old man shouted and dropped the gun. Duo landed and tugged, snarling and ripping, pulling at the man. He very calmly reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He dropped the leather to the ground and held up a switchblade. Duo's dog-mind didn't care enough to let go, but his human mind made him drop the wrist in his teeth and back away. "Good," Kelas said. The man stood upright again. "You are Duo Maxwell, then, just as I'd thought. This has worked even better for me than I'd thought. I'd hoped they would rush."

Duo backed away. He'd become weak. He'd become weak enough to trust in strangers. He remembered how he'd growled at Heero for being overprotective and cautious and felt a quick well of shame. He should've listened to his partner.

"Now, shall we?" The old man actually waved Duo on. "I have another bomb waiting somewhere in the building, in case you're uninterested in accompanying me."

Duo didn't move his eyes from the man. He couldn't just walk out with the guy. He had to know his bases were being compromised as they spoke – well, as __he__ spoke. Duo would be taken somewhere where the others couldn't find him. He planted his paws on the ground and growled.

"I suggest you come with me," Kelas said. "I'm the only one with the antidote." Duo hesitated.

The phone rang.

"Go. Now," the old man ordered, and Duo watched that switchblade. He was fast, and strong. If he ignored his pain, he might be able to take the man down. But he had to plan for it. He had to be smart about this. He kept growling, but he stood straight and turned to leave, furious that his dog body wouldn't let him walk backwards out of the office. Kelas followed after him, pausing for a moment to retrieve his gun. Duo wasn't thrilled about that. He had to alter his plans. Especially when he entered the hall and was promptly soaked. Stupid sprinkler system.

Preventers Headquarters was annoyingly simplistic in design, streamlined as only Wufei or Une could love. Heero, too, maybe, though Heero appreciated little tricks. But to Duo, this place was a nightmare. No hidey-holes, no confusing layout, no double-entrance bathrooms, for crying out loud. What could he do to lose the guy and wrap around him? There was only one hallway that entered into a square, and it was more of a rectangle. With the linoleum floors, he would slip and slide just enough to be an easy target. He found himself walking to the east entrance and felt something tighten in his chest. He refused to be useless. He turned to Kelas and barked, then laid down and stood, barking again. The man stopped. "What?"

Thank goodness; the man had fallen for it. Duo sniffed the air and panted before barking twice more. Kelas thought Duo was trying to tell the man something, when he was only trying to catch the attention of the person two halls down, the one wearing a lot of cologne. Duo looked to the door and growled.

"If there's someone there, I'll simply shoot them," Kelas said, and motioned with the gun for Duo to get moving. The cologned man was coming toward them. Duo moved to the door slowly, hunkering his body down. "Stop," Kelas said, and he looked around. Kelas went to the door, keeping to the side, and flashed the ID that he'd clipped to his shirt. Duo looked at it, surprised that he hadn't noticed it, before he realized that it almost seemed to blend into the man's shirt because of his strange eyesight. He struggled to focus on what humans might see, but he couldn't tell if there was nothing else suspicious on the man or if he was simply missing something. "All right," Kelas said then, and motioned Duo forward. It was only after Duo had left the building that Kelas followed, pointing his gun at Duo the whole time, easily visible. Great. He loved being used as a hostage.

Of course there was no one out there, and Kelas bared his teeth. "Get going. Any more tricks, and I'll blow the bomb."

Duo looked around. Cars. Good, there were cars. But the bomb threat was something he couldn't stop by running. He found himself walking to the old man's car as Kelas once again hid his gun against his chest, still aimed for Duo's doggy skull. The old man put his switchblade in his pocket to unlock his car door. The man held the back passenger door open for Duo, then closed it and walked to the front, keeping the gun trained on Duo as he circled around. Duo looked at the locking mechanism. It was an automatic, and he had no doubt the man would child lock the damn thing. Kelas did, as soon as he sat down and started the car. Down went the child locks, and Kelas clicked his seatbelt on. Duo looked at the gun lying loose in the man's fingers, but he remembered the man's efficiency with the instrument. He wouldn't get the gun away from the man before he tasted the bullet.

He looked out the car window as Kelas drove, first at the speed limit, then slowly faster after they passed the fire engine and ambulances. He cataloged every twist and turn, every winding road, as his mind chewed on what to do, where to go. He mulled over Sally's health, over how many lives may have been lost. Worried over Heero's reaction to this latest development. Hell. Worried about __himself__ , as he noticed that his mind was fuzzing on the details of the twists and turns. He looked at the signs they passed, the buildings. And felt his mind lose the particulars. His heart reacted to his panic, practically bursting from his chest. He was losing it. He could __feel__ himself losing it.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this," Kelas said. "I'd hoped sending my men out would resolve the issue, but they blundered again and again." Kelas sighed as they came upon a red light, and to Duo's surprise, the man stopped and looked back. "I hadn't believed it when you arrived at my back porch with my men behind you." Then he shook his head and turned forward again, pressing on the gas as he passed the red light. Duo realized the problem then; Kelas was stopping at the light because he didn't want his car recorded in the area by the stop light cameras. Shit.

The drive was long, and by the time they'd stopped, Duo could see the sky changing to a new color of tinted gray, could see the billboards and shops far behind them. They were on the outskirts of the city, on a small little strip of wannabe suburbia. The houses were all stuck together – townhouses. And they were all copies of each other, each the same. They'd stopped in the middle of one, with cars on the side of the street and trash cans lined up on the sidewalk. He could run from here, turn left, and... shit. The panic thudded a little harder inside him.

"Get going," Kelas said, coming around the car and opening Duo's door. He watched the old man as he hopped down, ignoring the flash of pain that sprang up and down his bad leg. The gun was still in the man's hand, and Duo noticed a dried trail of blood on the man's left wrist and hand. Good; the man's blood was in the Preventors building. He thought he remembered the man dropping his wallet. But of course, Une would be suspicious of the old man that came in on the same day that the bomb went off.

It was all down to time and luck, though, as to whether Duo would be found and saved in time. He smelled nothing of the old man here at the house he was being led to. It smelled instead of dust and dank earth and staleness. The houses were certainly old; across the street, a small, weeding garden of flowers grew. Duo couldn't smell anyone else here. There were cars everywhere, but no people. No kids, no adults. No anything. Suddenly the place seemed like a miniature ghost town, and Duo felt something creep along the back of his spine. Danger.

The building Duo was led to was in the middle of a string of five townhouses, at least two stories tall and planted on the top of a hill. Duo could smell plenty from inside this one building; he could smell chemicals, leather, smoke. The place smelled like a small military compound. The feeling of danger burned along his back now.

Kelas opened the door with one hand, his other pointing the gun into Duo's face. He took another look around, but he found himself cataloging strange things – the flowers across the street, the overturned earth on the edge of one of the townhouses in this row, the smell of the gas from Kelas' car. He could smell a cat, though it was old, and he could hear birds on the other side of the street. He even saw one flutter onto the edge of a roof. He tried to think of where to go, to hide, but all he knew about the trash cans was that they had a smorgasbord of smells, most of which made his nose wrinkle up. So he focused on Heero's face in his mind and thought of returning to him. It was all he was able to do before he was ushered into Kelas' townhouse.

He'd been right about the military compound idea; the dining room smelled like gunpowder and metal, the kitchen of chemicals, and the basement of blood. Now there was the cold presence of flesh, the presence that spoke of death, but there was no scent of death yet. Coming, then. Duo could feel Shinigami in this house.

"Go to the couch." Duo did as told, moving around a stack of newspapers on the floor and hopping up on the torn cushion of the couch. There was no television there, no magazines, no personal touches. Lights lit the walls when Kelas flicked the switch, but the only furnishings in the room were the couch and a long table on the edge of the room, papers strewn all over it. Duo couldn't see for sure what they were, but they seemed too grayish to be white. Blue? Blueprints? He strained to think of any other option and couldn't. It was getting too late, and he was far away. How would he be found in time, even if the others could find an antidote? Had everything been lost with that one bomb? Was Kelas telling the truth when he said he was the only one with an antidote, or had that been a lie? Duo hadn't caught any insincerity. Of course, he hadn't thought Kelas to be an enemy, either. Was he the leader of Turris? Was everything over?

"A dog." The man shook his head. "I'd been afraid that we weren't ready, but my men were getting impatient. They begged." He shrugged. "What can be done? A leader can only follow his men." He came up to Duo and leaned down. The gun was still pointed at Duo's face, still ready to be used. Duo found himself growling at the man. "Now, now. Enough of that. I hadn't known it would end up this way. If I could have been reasonably certain I could get to that little pink princess without having to harm you five, I would have." The man stood and walked to the other side of the room, running his free hand over his neck. "But you all seem hell-bent on protecting her."

Duo growled some more, unable to stop himself. His heart started pumping less fear and more anger. He wanted to get back to Heero. He wanted to stop this man. He remembered that the man was dangerous and evil, and he felt the danger of the gun in his hand. The man had... had taken him from Heero. And the man had threatened his own life. And had hurt him? And planned to hurt Heero?

"You know of Turris, I'm sure." Kelas rolled his head, popped his neck, and glared at Duo as he moved to attack. "Enough. I may be old, but I haven't lost my skills.” The man shrugged and looked to the wall. As if Duo was nothing. “Back during the war, I retired from the military, certain things would be taken care of by someone else – and they were. And then you all showed up. It was interesting – who was right and who was wrong? Those who win are those who decide. I didn't mind – peace was peace. But that girl – that nauseatingly foolish girl!" Kelas' finger tensed around the trigger, and Duo's knowledge of impending death finally shut off the growling. "Better. I would like to ask you why. Why do you protect her? She knows nothing of the world. She places everyone together with the foolish notion that getting rid of invisible national borders would solve all problems."

Duo was disturbed to find himself agreeing with what the man was saying. Duo had seen firsthand how naïve the princess could be. She didn't understand the world Duo came from. But Duo couldn't help but think about how close she and Heero were. Heero had to see __something__ in her. And she was doing a good job so far.

Duo growled again as the man started to pace. "The problem now," he said, "is getting rid of the other four." The man pointed his gun at Duo. "That's where you come in again, I'm afraid. I truly am the only one with the antidote now." He smiled thinly. "They'll come to get you, and to get the antidote." He pointed to the kitchen. "Though I doubt any soldier can tell which it is, even if I fail here. If nothing else, I can dwindle your numbers by one. Perhaps you'll be lucky enough to be put down before you find your human self gone."

Duo doubted that.

Kelas seemed content to merely lean against the banister leading to the second floor and wait. Duo looked around, sniffed, but all he could make out were the chemicals and the weapons and the fact that it was going to rain soon. Great. More water. Like he hadn't gotten soaked enough in the Preventors hallway. The rain would soak away any chance of using his doggy nose to find how he'd gotten to where he was, and he couldn't trust his mind anymore. It was starting to fail him. Especially since he was feeling a thirst that kept coming into his head, one that made him want to go outside and greet the storm – or beg the human in the room to get him something. The evil human in the room who had a freaking gun on him.

He didn't know how long they stayed in that room doing nothing. All he knew was that he was getting to the point where his bladder was making itself known, and he was bored, and it was getting really, really dark. Duo watched the old man as the light outside died, watched as his hand never seemed to tire around the gun. He spent his time playing mind games, playing random trivia, Scrabble, Monopoly. Then he went through the mental exercises he'd had to do when under G and found himself stumbling over the familiar courses. He was running out of time. It was either act now or suffer a fate worse than death. And hope the guys forgave him if he fucked up.


	10. Better To Have a Dog Welcome You Than Bark At You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duo's mind deserts him.

Duo didn't have that much time to formulate a plan, and anything that involved any sort of thinking had to fly out the window pretty quick. He perked an ear and half-turned his head, then leaped from the bed as Kelas turned his head to look outside. The old bastard was fast, but instead of going for him, Duo ran to the dining room. When Kelas fired, the bullet punched into the wall to Duo's right. He whirled into the dining room and hunkered down. His bad leg throbbed.

"Bastard," Kelas said. Duo sniffed and listened. Kelas was hanging back, waiting for Duo to make the next move. He couldn't go to the kitchen; he couldn't take the chance of getting any potential antidote shot at. He could hear Kelas waiting where he could easily see the hall. Duo would have normally had the advantage of time, with Preventors searching for him. But he didn't. He struggled to remember the antidote in the kitchen, struggled to sniff and compute trajectory. He found himself smelling and acting more on the scent. Where was the scent? Avoid the scent. That was all that entered his head.

And dammit, he was growling. And hunkering down. And raising his hackles. He wanted to shiver at the way his body tensed on its own, but he couldn't. It was like his body wasn't paying attention to his thoughts anymore.

Even as he thought that, he found himself creeping forward. He ordered with all his might to stop, to stand the hell still and wait, that Kelas didn't know how far gone he was – Kelas would believe Duo had all the time in the world. Kelas would make his move. Duo didn't have to move. Yet his feet slunk forward nonetheless. His body bent; his snarl grew louder. He had to amend his plan again.

He ran out again, then ducked back in, just barely avoiding the gunshot. He panted and turned again, going off the adrenaline to punch himself back into control. The man had several bullets left, too many for Duo to keep playing the trick and live. He turned behind him and grabbed a shotgun from the back of the room with his mouth, careful to keep the barrel away from his body. He dropped it beside the entrance to the hallway and scratched at the thing until the safety clicked off.

"Duo Maxwell. In your state, you can't win." Duo didn't bother looking up, though his ears flicked to attention. "You must know I’m right."

Duo planted one paw behind the gun, making sure it couldn't move around on him, and scratched the trigger. It pounded out one sharp, loud blast, pummeling into the wall. Kelas gasped. Duo pressed the trigger again, but the plaster held up under the strain. He wanted to check the magazine of the gun, but he couldn't remember why. He felt his heart jackhammer and shook his head. He ran to grab another gun, but Kelas was moving now. He ran back to the shotgun and hunkered low, hoping for the best. Kelas pulled his gun around the side of the room, hiding the rest of his body behind the wall, and Duo barked and rolled. Gunshots rang out. Duo just barely had the sense to look at the position of the gun and dodge again and again, until he was underneath the gun and his doggy instincts took over, leaping him up onto his hind legs and clamping on the barrel of the gun. The powder and heat almost made him drop it, but even a dog knew danger, and he ripped the gun from Kelas' hand with a snarl and a thrash of his head.

Duo spit the offensive thing from his mouth and charged around the hall, using the opposite wall as a launching pad and snatching Kelas' bad wrist in his mouth once more, grinding down on the man's flesh. Kelas yelled and stumbled back, but kept his feet underneath him. Duo's throaty growls seemed to fill the air. He hardly noticed the man's blood, only knowing the stench that preceded victory. He focused on that grayish face, those grayish lips pulled into a grimace, and he leaped again, using his weight and his grip on the man's hand to finally tip him over, and Kelas fell hard to the ground, Duo on top of him, releasing the wrist for the man's neck.

"Stop or you'll never get your antidote! You can't know it from the rest!"

But Duo was heedless of the words, already ripping his jaw open and pulling the man's flesh into his mouth, crunching until the man's words garbled, until the liquid flow of blood made the man's voice gurgle. Duo tasted it, running in rivers and rivers down his teeth, and something in him screamed. He released the man and looked at him, at the hands that clutched at his neck, at the eyes wide as saucers.

__Murder!_ _

He backed away, confused. Why should he care about the man's death? He was dangerous; Duo had been the one attacked. He could still taste the man's blood on his tongue, in his throat. Proof that he was the champion, that his life was the one that would continue. Why was that bad? He thought of Heero, an indistinct image that brought the scents of wood and gunpowder and the feel of hands on his fur, of a deep, smooth tone and a voice calling him 'Duo.' Heero hadn't ever told him to bite someone. Maybe Heero would be upset with his action? Suddenly he understood his hesitation, and he stood whining as the man on the ground rolled up, reaching blindly along the carpet, one hand still holding the side of his neck. Duo stepped aside for him, not knowing what to do. He looked around. Should he leave? But he felt like he shouldn't. Should he try to help the human? But how?

He thought about it and remembered the bandages on his leg. Something told him that would help. He looked around again, this time with purpose, and he saw what looked like a blanket on the back of the couch. He went to it and grabbed it in his teeth, then went back to the human. The blanket unfolded behind him, bulky and cumbersome, but he brought it and dropped it, panting slightly, thinking to get praise. But he didn't, even as the man snatched it and put it to his throat. He supposed that was acceptable; he had, after all, started it. And there was a mess on the floor now, a red-gray liquid that smelled of what he'd tasted. The man was gasping, short, liquid-y sounds. Duo could smell death on the man. Something in him felt sick. He was in __so__ much trouble.

The man reached forward for the piece of metal again, the piece Duo had wrenched from him. What was the man going to do with it? Duo cocked his head, watching the man's movements. He felt like he should stop the man, but the last time he'd done that, he'd gotten himself in trouble. Besides, there was no impending danger from the thing; it smelled bad, reminded him somehow of death and pain, of a constant edgy fear and a tension that itched between his shoulder blades. The man's fingers curled around the metal, around a piece of it, and he hacked. "You dare," the man said, and Duo hardly understood the words, "you dare do this... you'll never... they'll do it now... I told them... if I don't..." The man picked up the metal. One finger curled around a little piece. Duo looked at it and felt the curl of danger in his stomach, but still he hesitated, not knowing how to get out of trouble for what he'd done, afraid of hurting the human even more. But when the man turned to him and started moving the metal so that a piece of it pointed at him, he found himself moving forward again despite himself, crunching down on the thing, onto the handle and the man's fingers, and the human howled. A loud noise thundered into Duo's ear, and he yelped around the taste of blood and flesh and bone. The man dropped the metal. It clattered to the floor.

"Damn you," the human said, and his head fell to the ground. He gargled something, something Duo couldn't find it in himself to understand, and though he watched the human as if doing so would save him, the liquid spread further, forcing Duo back in order to avoid it, stinking up the whole place, fighting with the smell of the metal's smoke. The man's hand finally slipped from his neck, bending awkwardly around until finally coming to rest. The blanket fell from his neck. Shortly after, Duo could smell the scent of death. He shook his head and snorted. He looked around then. Heero wasn't there. Should he wait? He knew he had a punishment waiting for him. He knew he'd done something wrong, though he wasn't quite sure what. The human was dead now – maybe that was what he'd done wrong. Maybe he shouldn't have had this human die.

He walked away from the body and sniffed around, going up the stairs. There were a few bedrooms, and he could smell the scent of the dead man within one of them. He went in there and looked around, but there was nothing of real interest. A bunch of papers, some metal, other boring stuff. He thought he could smell another one of those pieces of metal that the man had held up to him before. The thing he'd been unnecessarily afraid of. He ignored it and went on looking around. He couldn't smell Heero anywhere. Was he supposed to stay in this strange place without Heero? With the dead human? Or should he try to find his human?

He ended up sitting in the hall with the dead human, not knowing what else to do. He hardly knew time, only knew that it was dark out and his human still wasn't anywhere nearby. Should he search for him? But he'd been left... no. He had a vague memory of being led here by the dead human. He held on to the memory as if it were important. He remembered something strange, strange thoughts of his own – trying to remember twists and turns of something, in order to leave. Should he leave? He looked to the door, then the window. Those, he knew, led outside. He thought he knew how to open them, though he had strange visions of a human doing so. Human hands, human fingers. Why?

He couldn't trust those strange visions. They weren't normal. He would stay.

* * *

He could smell his human now.

He looked over to the scent. There were things blocking it; he was inside a human building, after all. He could smell gas around his human, could hear doors opening, heard a person talking. Heard his human saying something. He barked.

Humans outside moved faster then, each speaking. Some weird humanoid noises were coming in, too, like the humans had turned metallic, and he almost thought that meant something, something about ears and speakers – whatever those were – and he heard some humans go to the back. His human went to the front. He knew his human would come. He barked again, his tail wagging, before he looked back down at the dead human on the floor. Oh. Right. He was in trouble. He sat back down and whined.

It didn't take long for the humans to come in, bursting through the doors in the front and back. His eyes locked on his human, and he ran to him, heedless of the punishment he knew he would get as soon as his human understood the situation, simply glad to have his human back again. As long as he wasn't left behind again, he would take the punishment for killing the other human. The humans talked some more, but his human bent down to him and hesitated before putting his hand on Duo's head. Duo panted. "Duo," he said, then again, "Duo. What happened?"

Duo panted and barked before jumping on his human's knees.

"Duo?"

"Maxwell. I see you managed on your own." Duo looked over and cocked his head. This was another of his humans, though not as important as his Heero human. He barked at him, too. "What?"

"I don't know. He's not..." Duo stopped panting when Heero's voice changed, when his scent altered from something good to something bad. He whined. "Duo." Heero put his hands on Duo's shoulders. He whined again. Something was wrong. Was this going to be his punishment for killing the human? "Duo, are you okay?" Duo cocked his head. "Are you all right?" he repeated, and Duo whined. His human sounded like he was in pain. "Oh, my God. Are we too late?"

More humans were still talking, talking around them, above them, in the other room. Glasses clinked together. Someone was looking at the dead human. "Wait, Yuy. Just wait." Wufei walked off. Duo watched him, whining still. He knew he'd done something wrong. What was going to happen to him? Was his human really that upset with him?

He looked back at his human and found himself looking at the deep blue of his human's eyes. "Duo. Duo, please answer me. What my name? Tell me my name?"

Duo cocked his head and barked.

"Oh, God." His human squeezed his eyes shut and grimaced. The look reminded Duo of the look of the dead human and he whined again, leaning forward to nudge Heero's face with his nose. His human smelled sad. He could smell the scent of tears. He nudged his human again and licked the man's forehead. His human reached for him, wrapping those human arms around him and hugging him close. Duo felt a short period of fear and anger; the move was the same as a demand for a battle. If his human were a dog, he'd think he was being attacked. But his human wasn't like him, and the smell was all wrong. His human was sad. This was a sad gesture. Duo understood that, and he let himself be pulled into the embrace. "Oh, God. Duo."

"Yuy! Get him out here now!"

Heero looked up, and though his cheeks were clear, Duo could still smell the scent of tears in his human's eyes. He felt the arms around him shift, understood he was going to be lifted. It was kind of fun, being able to be high up and see more. His human wrapped those hands underneath him and brought him up to the air. Duo looked around, seeing from where he was the banister on one end of the hall, the kitchen and the table on the other. He could smell Wufei in the kitchen, just as he smelled his other humans, Quatre and Trowa, coming, too. They were still outside the human building, though.

"What is it, Wufei?"

"Get him out here." Heero turned to corner into the kitchen. There were humans everywhere, moving around. Lots of glasses, too, full of things that smelled strange. Duo lifted his head and sniffed around. Wufei came toward them, the man smelling of gunpowder and blood, his spicy scent still caked into the fibers of his flesh, and in his hand was something that smelled like shit. "Put him on the floor and hold him down," Wufei said.

"Wufei?" But Heero did as told. Duo found his legs being bound and struggled in his human's grip. He growled.

"This is the antidote." There were more voices. Duo missed what his human said because of them, but Wufei said, "I remember what we were working on," and bent over Duo. "Duo, don't bite me. You have to swallow this."

Duo growled as his jaw was pried open, then as Heero rearranged himself over Duo until he could keep Duo bound and free up one of his hands. With it, he helped Wufei hold his jaw open and the liquid was poured down the back of his throat. He gagged on it, almost choked, and tasted on his tongue something that he didn't seem to have a name for, something vile and nasty that made him shake and slap at the taste on the back of his tongue. He pulled and writhed underneath his human's hands and hips, for once angry about his human's extra strength. His growls turned to snarls, and his human kept saying, over and over again, "please." Duo heard the same sadness from before in his human's voice.

Several minutes passed. Things starting getting fuzzy, twisting and twirling, and on a whine he stopped moving and laid his head down. Why was the world spinning? Had he fought too much? Maybe he'd been bleeding. He looked back at his hind leg, thinking to lick it, and found the world on its side. He whined and closed his eyes again. He felt hot and restless. He moved underneath his human's hands. It was getting really hot. And something in him was pounding.

"Duo? Duo, please don't let it be too late. Please."

"Everyone out!" Wufei said, and the voices and shuffling halted. "Everyone get out of the room! Someone find something to cover a body with and leave it outside the room."

"Wufei, it isn't... why?"

"Because when Maxwell wakes up, he will most likely be unclothed."

Heero's hands pressed on Duo's back, sliding through his fur. Long fingers curled into the short strands. "He didn't answer, Wufei. It... what if...?"

"Shut up, Yuy, unless you have something useful to say." Wufei pulled Duo's head around to look at him. Duo felt something burn his eyelids before things turned white. He panted for air and closed his eyes, whining a low, long keen. "I can't see anything for sure. Po and I had only seen the beginning of the antidote take shape, and with her still unconscious, I can't know what else she may have learned."

"What will happen if it doesn't work?" Heero asked. Duo could hear Heero's heart pounding, pounding in his chest.

"He will either die or live out his life as a dog."

Heero's breath stilled.

Duo stopped whining only because he had to pant, only stopped wriggling against Heero's hold because he was too damn tired to continue. He laid his head on the floor and felt a darkness creep around him, thick and deep. He heard Heero's voice, heard the man promise to do it right this time, if only...

He slipped into the black.

* * *

"Duo!" It was a blond voice, one that was like a bright sky. It glided in and faded out before Duo could catch it.

"We don't know... the doctors say there might be something wrong. He should be awake by now."

"What don't we know?" Trowa. That one was Trowa. And the one before it... the one before it. He sighed.

"Maxwell didn't respond to Yuy's questions. I found the antidote in that mess in Vandura's kitchen, and we gave it to Maxwell. You saw us put him in the ambulance – you knew he'd turned human again."

"Yes." It was the bright sky speaking there. Duo felt heavy where he lay, and though he knew he was in a hospital room, he didn't know why or how he knew. He felt like there was a fuzz in his brain, like it had been stuffed with cotton balls. "You told us you needed us to find out what was going on with the neighborhood."

"And we did. Maxwell came in for a check-up and..."

"There are... complications."

It was the voice again. Duo's mind wrapped around it like a cocoon. That voice. His... No. Not his human. Heero. His partner. _Heero._

"What kind of complications?" Trowa asked, when Quatre could only make a small sound and cut it off. Duo heard cloth move, heard Quatre make another sound. "What kind?" he asked again.

"They managed to take care of his leg," Wufei said, answering, for some reason, for Heero. "They were worried about it; he'd reopened it and re-injured it so many times, they'd thought it might have been permanently ruined. But the injuries were all clean, and they were relatively shallow when compared to his canine form."

"But that's not what Heero was talking about," Trowa said.

Duo felt almost hot, restless. It seemed now as if every part of his body was sore; his skin, his muscles, his very insides. Every time his heart beat, he felt something akin to pain.

"He didn't age," Quatre said, his voice quiet. "Or if he did, it isn't noticeable."

"The doctors can't be sure about that," Heero said. "They don't know. They... they've never dealt with anything like this before."

"Sally has taken over primary care for Maxwell," Wufei continued. "It's the mind and organs she was worried about. It will take some time for Maxwell to be fully human again, if... ever."

Quatre hissed. "What do you mean?"

"Will he have dog senses forever?" Trowa asked, and Duo felt something in him churn. Dog senses? More gray?

"No," Wufei said. "I mean his mind." Duo heard the man pull in a deep breath. "He may never have his human mind again."

Everyone was quiet then, quiet enough for Duo to start paying attention to more than the voices. He felt an itch in his arm that spoke of an IV. He heart the beeping of a heart monitor. His hands and feet felt bound. Bandages? He couldn't be sure. There was another bandage-type thing on his left arm, his left cheek. His right leg was definitely trapped in something. It felt like more bandages, thicker than the others. A cast? No, but almost.

His brain still felt packed in white. He tried to figure out why he was in the hospital bed and saw images of gray, smelled the grass and the warmth of the sunshine, heard the sounds of voices talking from far, far away. Felt a tight, claustrophobic feeling clamp around his chest. Felt Heero's hands on him, those fingers in his fur. Remembered the scent of Heero's tears. He didn't want to go back to that. He felt like he was trapped in a small space, with a lonely, empty room on one side and a tall, gray room on the other. In both Heero was too far to reach, the empty room void of human existence, the gray room filled with a depth he couldn't breach. He didn't want to return to either.

"We found files in the townhouse," Trowa said. "This isn't over yet."

Wufei hissed. "Have you spoken to Une?"

"Yes. For now, she's canceled Relena's appointments and is watching out for her in the Peacecraft mansion. It can't be continued forever. A few more days, and the public will panic."

Heero. Why wasn't Heero talking anymore? The cotton fuzz seemed like a cloud of thin cord, pulling tighter the more he struggled against it. He knew there were things in it, things he could remember if only he tried. Things he __should__ remember, things he should never forget. He thought he could feel Heero's hands on his back, lifting him, helping him. Those eyes watching over him, that voice speaking softly to him. He thought he remembered his partner's panic at his absence. But it all seemed washed in gray, in scents he knew couldn't exist – lion piss, for instance, or a scent of wood on someone who hadn't been in the woods for months. And he thought he could still taste blood on his tongue, and something so disgusting Duo doubted anything but the phrase 'shittastic' could express the nastiness. He thought he could remember sitting in front of a mirror looking at an image of a brown-gray dog and thinking __that's me__. It sounded ridiculous. It __was__ ridiculous. Had he been dreaming? Had he been injured on the last bust?

He tried to remember the bust, but all he could think of was singing off-key in the shower, of how Heero had left and gotten pizza, pizza with mushrooms – but he had smelled that, he hadn't been there. It was part of the dream. But the singing wasn't, or at least he didn't think so. He'd gone back home and had... had talked to Heero because the man might have been feeling lonely. He'd grabbed a Gatorade. He...

He'd woken up to gray.

"His heart monitor," Heero breathed, and then Duo felt Heero's warmth by his side. "Duo? Can you hear me?"

Heero was talking again. His partner was waiting for him to wake up. He must have gotten injured on the bust. He must have dreamed it all. He'd thought he'd heard Heero scream. He thought he remembered hearing a cry so loud he'd thought surely Heero was dying. The cottonball cloud in his mind seemed to want to get thicker, but he pushed through it as much as he could.

"Duo? Can you hear us?" Quatre.

He wasn't imagining it, was he? He really had run on four legs. He remembered the feel of it, the rip of the glass along his back leg, the feel of the bullet stripping fur and flesh. He wasn't making it up. And jumping up on his hind legs, grabbing door handles in his mouth... it wasn't something he'd made up. The weird Scrabble game, the Morse Code barking. He hadn't imagined that.

Heero. Heero really __had__ screamed like that. Heero had feared for Duo. Heero had...

Duo opened his eyes, feeling a strange burn along his eyelids, like even those muscles were tired and sore. The world was white for a moment, and he feared seeing the gray again, feared feeling his body lying on its side, his fur prickling against his skin. He blinked. Quatre was gasping his name. Wufei called for him. Heero and Trowa were silent. He thought he could see color on the edges of his vision, and he turned to it. Heero was right there beside him, head bent slightly over Duo's vision. He could see the deep blue of Heero's eyes, so much deeper than he'd seen it in the Gray Days. Then the man's hair – wild and crazy and brown – __brown__. Heero's hair was brown.

"Human?" he asked, and found it difficult to speak. His tongue felt fat and heavy, his lips bruised. He blinked again, much slower than he thought he should. He tried to move and felt every part of his body protest.

"Yes," Heero said. "You're human."

Duo let his gaze roam around. Quatre's blond hair, so bright it almost hurt his eyes. Wufei's shirt, stained slightly with red. Colors. He could see them again, so glaring they seemed to pop out from where they sat. The heart monitor picked up slightly. He tried to curl his fingers and toes and found a painful pricking at the back of his eyes. Why would curling his phalanges make him want to cry?

"Maxwell." Wufei leaned over, grabbing Duo's attention. He hardly had the strength to turn his head. "Maxwell, can you tell me your name?"

Duo frowned. He thought he could remember things more clearly, now that he knew the gray world was gone. His world was the empty one; the one without Heero in sight. But Heero was right in front of him. His partner. His partner who had worried about him. That would be enough. That was more than enough. He was __human__.

"Shinigami," he answered, and smiled. Heero pulled back slightly, his eyes wide and unfocused. The man's breath stopped. "You all called me Shinigami. Ha."

Just like that, everyone started talking at once, bombarding Duo with sounds and emotions. Trowa laughing, Quatre thanking his god, Wufei yelling at Duo to not think about something so ridiculous when they'd all been worried about him. His gaze slid to Heero, the one who didn't speak. The man looked deep in thought, his eyes carefully shuttered again. But Duo would take it. He thought he remembered Heero wanting him around. He remembered Heero's concern for him. If nothing else, it meant their partnership was true. Close. It meant that Heero cared for him. He would take it and run with it. At least now he could stay by Heero's side again. "Hey," he said, and the others quieted, looking between him and Heero. Heero didn't look up. "Hey," he said again. "You had pizza without me. That's not fair. You owe me pizza."

Heero looked up, eyes still slightly wide – or maybe wide all over again. "Duo?"

"When I... when I was a dog," he said, stumbling over the very thought of it, "I'd smelled pizza in your house. You had pizza without me, you shithead. I want pizza."

Heero sat blinking for a while, until Quatre chuckled. "Duo, you're in the hospital. They'll be keeping you in here for a while for observation."

"Pizza," Duo said, emphasizing the syllables, as if doing so could make it appear. He hadn't really given a damn before, but suddenly he was ravenous. "I'm starving."

"I'll get a nurse," Trowa said, and Wufei suddenly found it necessary to accompany him. Quatre made some excuse, too, and waved good-bye as he exited the room. Duo watched him go, taking the color with him, and suddenly found himself feeling claustrophobic again. He looked at Heero's hair, at his Preventors uniform, a deep blue. Heero was silent, looking back down at his hands.

"Thank you," Duo said. It made Heero raise his gaze again, his brows puckered. "Thank you. For not giving up on me."

Heero's breath hitched. His crossed fingers clenched.

"I'd panicked," Duo continued, "when I realized what had happened – what I'd become. Seeing you stop to pick me up was like seeing a miracle. Knowing you guys were safe. Knowing I was going to be able to stop you from – from turning out like me." Damn, he'd already said it once. Shouldn't the words come easier with practice? "You kept fighting to find me, and then to change me back. Thank you."

Heero flushed. "Duo – the things I did – when you were a dog." Duo blinked at the coating of pink on Heero's cheeks. "I..."

What was he talking about? "Heero." Duo tried to move his hand and felt the sheet above him against the hairs on his arm. It seemed to prickle, almost, and tingled a bit. Every muscle seemed fifty pounds heavier. He had to concentrate on how to move, as if the joints were unfamiliar. He barely managed to pull it out from under the covers before he was exhausted, but he got his hand on top of Heero's. Heero reached up automatically, holding Duo's hand. Heero's skin was warm, his fingers calloused. Duo sighed. "Thank you for finding me. And I'm sorry I worried you."

Heero didn't say anything to his words, but those fingers stayed wrapped around his hand. It was good enough. Better than enough. "I have things to make up for," Heero said. "Things I have to say to you."

Duo hummed. "All right."

But they were silent then, each drifting in their own thoughts. Duo found himself looking through the cottony cloud to the memories that seemed surreal. He kept seeing Heero's face during those first couple of days, when no one had known where Duo had gone. He remembered Heero breaking down in front of him, shouting that Duo had to be alive. He remembered Heero pulling his dog body up into an embrace, remembered Heero hugging him close. Remembered Heero's hands on his crotch.

Ah. Maybe that was what Heero was embarrassed about.

"You didn't know it was me then," Duo said, and gave Heero a little smile. When Heero's brows furrowed, he said, "when you were... searching for stuff. You didn't know it was me."

Heero blushed and looked down at his lap. The sight of it made Duo blink. His grin widened. Somehow it was different from just smelling it. Seeing it on Heero's face, seeing how his cheeks tinged pink. More proof he was human again. And better, something else he'd found himself starting to fear – the feel of his manhood twitching. Thank goodness that little baby still worked. "Heero." But Heero wouldn't look up. "Heero. What happened after Kelas took me from Preventors? I can't really remember."

Heero frowned. "We were hoping you could tell us," he said.

Well, that didn't sound promising. Duo focused in on the strange memories. "I remember him coming and saying there was another bomb in the precinct." Duo stilled then and turned to Heero.

"We found it," Heero said.

Well, thank goodness for that, at least. And thank goodness it was real; he would have been pissed to have been called out on a fake. Duo nodded and closed his eyes. "There was... a car. And I tried to remember the turns, but my damn head... it felt like every turn was recorded and then just... slipped out. Like I was trying to hold onto sand. There was something weird about the neighborhood, too. I could smell old scents, people who had been there a while ago, but no one new. Everything seemed kind of stale and empty. The only new scent for the place was his – Kelas'."

"We..." Heero paused for a moment, and Duo thought he heard Heero take a deep breath. "We found that he'd bought the area, though he'd kept the original tenants' names. Apparently he'd threatened them out of the area."

How? But Duo accepted the explanation, too tired for more, his thoughts turning muddled. "I... he led me into the house. Told me... he'd told me before, that he was the only one with the antidote. I didn't know if it was true, but... I'd felt myself slipping away. I'd known I didn't have that much time left."

Heero hissed.

"He... was talking to me." Duo frowned. "I couldn't understand it, but I knew I was screwed if I didn't get away. I managed to run into the dining room. There were weapons, and I shot one at the wall. I wanted the plaster to give, maybe give me a place to run or… something. But it didn't. He came after me, and I... I attacked him. Grabbed his wrist. He kept fighting." Duo's eyes widened. "I – I think I bit his neck." His throat convulsed. He really thought he could taste it – the old man's blood. He shuddered. "Jesus."

Heero leaned forward then. "But he'd attacked you?"

Duo shook his head. "Yes, but... Jesus. I can't remember it clearly. I'd made him drop the gun, I think... I pulled it away and kept attacking." He paled. His eyes opened on Heero. "I murdered him. He didn't have his weapon anymore, Heero. I murdered him."

Heero's eyes widened.

Duo squeezed his eyes closed again. "I can't – after we all swore never again." He felt something inside him turn leaden. He'd adjusted slowly, of course, to the idea of what he'd done, what he'd become, and the shift from that to... but he and Heero and the others had all sworn, though the words were never actually spoken, that none of them would ever kill again. He'd broken his word, gone against his own principles. He'd never purposefully killed an unarmed person before. He couldn't say he'd never killed a citizen, but he could say he'd never aimed for one before.

"It's all right, Duo." Heero reached forward as if to touch him, but he placed his hand on the bed instead. "We'll take care of it."

"Shit, Heero. What have I done?"

"We'll take care of it," he said again. His voice brooked no argument. Duo's lips lifted slightly. Trust Heero to take what could be a traumatic experience and liken it to mission specs.

"Thank you."

Heero didn't say anything to that, but Duo didn't need a response. He was tired, and he knew Heero really would handle it. It was comforting to fall asleep on the bed, his body human, with Heero once again sitting diligently by his side. Two humans again. He couldn't regret not being anything more than Heero's partner – he was too damn glad to have that. Human.

Thank goodness, he was human again.

* * *

"Not until he wakes up," Heero said with a hiss. The words alone were enough to wake him, even if the tension in Heero's voice hadn't tipped him off. He felt a little better as he woke this time, as if his muscles had been stretched and were starting to heal. It was a little easier to breathe, too, and his eyelids didn't feel like lead weights. He blew out a breath and opened his eyes. Wufei was standing beside Heero, who still sat in his chair. The usual posture he had was gone. Duo was used to waking up and seeing Heero sitting straight, his hands lying on the armrests, if there were any, or in his lap, if there weren’t. His eyes would be on Duo's face, catching every slight movement, categorizing them into some mental checklist vataloging the level of Duo’s health. Now Heero looked ready to stand, his lips pulled back into a snarl. Wufei looked ready to lean down and smack Heero in the head.

"I'm up," Duo croaked.

Both turned to him. "Duo." Heero ignored Wufei just like that. Duo watched Wufei seethe for a moment before turning to him, as well. "I've spoken to Une about your fight with Kelas." Apparently he wasn't going to be saying anything to anyone else unless Duo okayed it. It made Duo smile. "She said the circumstances will be difficult to take into account, and that once they were, any charges would most likely be dropped."

Duo tried for a grin. "You mean like 'cause it was the dog's fault, and the dog's gone?"

Heero sat back. "Something like that."

"What happened?" Wufei asked, looking from Heero to me. "Did you go against regulation?"

Duo winced. Wufei was still the usual stickler. It was bad enough that he'd almost broken down in front of Heero. The fact that he felt guilty about it probably wouldn't help much, either. "I disarmed him first." He watched as it crept into Wufei's brain and sank into the wrinkles; if he wasn't so scared of Wufei's reaction, he would've enjoyed the show.

"Ah. You were predominantly animal then," Wufei said. "You reacted on instinct." Wufei looked down to the floor, then looked up. "Commander Une is right. There is nothing to hold you accountable for." Duo's jaw dropped. "Now, Yuy." Wufei turned back to his original prey. "You are to come with me to the Peacecrafts. Now."

Heero grimaced, but he stood. "Duo. Will you be all right here?"

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think I'd get in trouble in a hospital?"

"Because we know your track record," Wufei said immediately. "And lately, it seems to have gotten worse."

Duo stuck his tongue out at him and laughed in surprise when the man blushed. What was that about? Then he remembered licking the man's face. Maybe that was why. His laughter turned a little evil.

Heero lingered for a moment as Wufei left, and he leaned down. "I really do have something important to talk with you about," he said. "I won't let it go unsaid after all this."

Duo blinked. Unease trickled down his back, but he nodded. "All right, Heero. You manage to get back here in one piece and breathing, and we'll talk."

Heero nodded. "Mission accepted," he said, completely serious, and Duo laughed in his face. Heero turned. For a second, Duo thought he heard a short breath of air whoosh from Heero's mouth. Was he doing that little laugh of his? Duo smiled at the thought.

Then he frowned. He thought he could remember Heero and the others talking about all of this not being over. He thought he could remember Kelas talking, saying something... he squinted his eyes and focused on those last hazy hours of his dog life. He thought... he thought he could remember that old man saying...

" _ _They'll do it now... I told them... if I don't..."__

The words filtered in, one small breath after another, as if tripping through layers and layers of fog. Duo cursed and struggled from his bed. Were the others really going to leave him behind for all this? Actually, that made sense, but hell if he wanted to hear it. He'd been the one to see the least amount of action during this entire damn debacle, despite the fact that he was the one in it up to his neck. He pulled out his IV, trying to be careful but knowing it would bruise spectacularly, and ripped off the rest of the trapping. His bum leg was in a half-cast, one of those wannabe things, most likely on Heero's orders. Cuts didn't need casts, but wayward patients did. He took a minute to look at them. They weren't as deep as they'd been when he was a dog, but maybe that was just perception? A dog's leg was thinner than a human's. His hands were bound, too, and he thought he remembered ripping up the pads of his paws as a dog. He felt the pain of burns on his upper arm and his face, and when he checked, he could feel bandages there, too.

He stood and almost fell flat on his face. He felt a strange feeling of dizziness, finding suddenly that his height was too much, that he should be lower to the ground. For the first time that he could remember in his life, he felt unsteady on two (practically) perfectly healthy feet.

That damn flatlining sound was going to hit a nerve real quick, too.

Then he was walking – more like hobbling, stupid wannabe cast – to the front register and checking himself out. He was given those hospital pajamas-type outfits and sent on his way, the nurses scowling at him. His first order of business would have been to get his own damn clothes, but he realized with a start that such was no longer possible. He no longer had a home. But he was used to that, too, and slipped on the familiar if uncomfortable feel of his old street rat self. He didn't have any damn money on him, and the only thing he could really do was either go out in the ostentatious hospital clothes and pickpocket some poor sap or call one of his friends, thus bringing the mother-henning horde down upon his head.

He sighed. When the hell did he become so damn full of scruples?

Quatre picked up rather quickly when he used the front register's phone, and as soon as Duo spoke, the man was telling him to stay put so he could be picked up. Duo sighed as he heard the others' voices in the background. Great. "Just hold the others back," he said with a sigh, and Quatre chuckled.

"I'll see what I can do."

It wasn't all that promising a statement, and Duo finally hung up and thunked his head on the desk. All it did was garner him a funny look from the nurses behind the counter. Maybe, just maybe, he should have stayed in bed.


	11. Even A Dog Knows the Difference Between Being Stumbled Over and Being Kicked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duo learns more about Heero. Also, things get worse.

It all pretty much happened as he'd expected. Quatre came barging into the hospital, Heero right behind him, with Trowa and Wufei walking at a much more sedate pace behind the two of them. The nurses, who had worked around him for the past ten minutes, watched the two coming forward like the cavalry had arrived. Duo spared a moment to glare at two of the women, but one of them smiled at it. She probably got a lot of glares in her line of work. Dammit.

"Duo, what are you doing?" Heero spoke, but the words were not posed in the form of a question. Duo grinned and turned to Quatre.

"Qat!" They exchanged hugs, though Quatre was careful to take a little more weight than usual so Duo didn't put it on his leg. Then they broke apart and Quatre led Duo straight to the hospital doors, ignoring Heero's death glare look. "I remembered the old man saying things weren't over, that me killing him was going to set off his underlings or something."

"Exact words?" Quatre asked, his voice suddenly serious. Duo recounted the words and watched Quatre frown. "It sounds like him not contacting them would put something into motion." Duo nodded. Wufei and Trowa got the doors, and they all headed out past the entrance and to the parking spaces on the side of the building. Trust Quatre to be able to worm his way close to the building. He probably had a reserved parking space or something. Richy-rich.

There were two cars, though one of them was obviously a Preventors vehicle. Wufei was the one to get into that one, and Trowa went with him. Quatre looked between the two cars before handing Heero the keys and getting in with Trowa and Wufei, sending Duo a look that said he was sorry, but he wasn’t sorry enough not to. Duo snickered before getting in the passenger side. Heero gave Duo a glare as he got in on the driver's side. Duo blithely ignored it. Heero slammed the door closed. "Duo."

He cocked Heero a grin. "Yeah?" He switched the music on in Qat's car. It was some classical stuff, the usual for Qat. Duo switched it to the saved radio station Qat left for him and grinned as Disturbed came on.

Heero looked at the radio, and Duo prepared for the usual battle of wills as Heero's hand went to the dial, but all he did was turn it down. "Duo. Are you well enough for this?"

"Well enough that I'm not sitting on my ass," he said, firming his resolve. Heero was acting a bit differently than usual, and Duo couldn't help but remember the days he'd spent as a dog. Heero had seemed different then, too. He'd laughed a lot more. Or maybe Duo had just never heard it before.

"You're still injured, Duo." Heero seemed to want to say Duo's name a lot. "You shouldn't be going out to the battlefield."

"Yeah, well, every time I'm left behind, something seems to happen, so technically it's probably safer for me to be on the battlefield."

Heero stopped for a minute and just stared at Duo. He couldn't hear it above the music, but suddenly Duo knew that Heero was huffing out that laugh of his. Heero smirked. "That just means you get in trouble no matter where you go."

Duo stuck his tongue out.

Heero just turned and started up the car. Wufei, in the driver's seat in the Preventors car, was idling beside them, looking ready to honk the horn. Duo stuck his tongue out at Wufei, too, and saw him blush. Heero backed the car out then and got onto the highway. Duo looked around, his eyes soaking in the McDonald's yellow M, the red on the beer billboard, the pink and brown and yellow in people's skin, the brown of the trees. He was practically bouncing in his seat. "Heero, Heero, look! The sun is yellow!"

Heero gave him a look.

"Don't you do that," Duo hissed. "It is yellow. It is not grayish yellow. It is yellow."

Heero's eyes glinted with understanding. "It... must have been hard." He turned back to the road as if they weren't talking about anything important, but Duo noticed how his fingers on the wheel had tightened.

"Yeah," he said, his voice getting quiet. He reached out and hesitated before turning off the radio. The world went deathly quiet. "It's... strange. I took a lot of things for granted that I never thought about before. Hands. Eyes. Voice. I felt like shit, being beside you and not being able to tell you that I was right there." Heero flinched slightly. "I'm sorry I scared you, Heero. I won't do it again."

Heero opened his mouth. Closed it. "I... didn't know what had happened to you," he said, his voice low, too. As if they were whispering secrets in a crowded room.

"I know. I'm sorry."

Heero didn't say anything. Duo found himself wordless, too. They were skating around pieces of information too personal for them. Duo had seen things Heero had probably never meant for another human to see. Dogs, who could they tell? What did it matter? But humans were something else entirely. Duo knew he'd learned things Heero may not have ever wanted him to. He felt like some sort of peeping Tom.

They were silent until they arrived at Relena's house – ahem, palace – and Heero drove up to the front again. Wufei and the others were already getting out of their car. Duo looked at them, not tiring of the colors, and caught Quatre's eye. The blond waved and cocked his head, looking between the two of them. Then he sighed and shook his head, turning to the others.

Heero opened his door and watched Duo as he did the same. Duo got out, his half-cast leg stuck like a pole as he hefted himself out, and Heero came around to wait for him in case he screwed up and needed rescuing. Duo grinned at him and pushed off from the car. The door to the palace was already opening, and now with the benefit of his human eyes he could see the pink roses and the pink rhododendrons – hey, he'd learned at least that much from poor Sister Helen – and all of the damn flowers were pink and white. He cocked an eyebrow and looked at it all as Relena rushed out, clothed in a pink business suit. Duo wondered if anyone ever told her that the effect of a business suit was ruined if worn in pink.

"Heero!" She gasped as soon as she caught sight of them, covering her mouth and widening her eyes, and then she was launching herself down the steps and into Heero's arms. Heero caught her easily. Duo watched with eyes tinted green. "You're all right! And Duo! You're..." She blinked at him.

"Human?" he finished for her, quirking her a small grin. It almost seemed to hurt his face.

She smiled, too, though shyly. He found himself off-balance. She'd been almost rude and standoffish during the war, and the two hadn't really spoken since. Duo knew that was mostly on him; she'd invited him to the after-war celebrations, but he'd turned them all down. He didn't belong at those fancy shindigs. He hadn't really tried to ever hook up with her outside of them, either; he doubted she would enjoy the places he did. "You're well again," she said, finally finishing her thought.

He nodded. "Well enough, though my leg doesn't want to agree with the statement." Heero was already trying to move Relena forward, putting a hand on her back. Duo tried to keep his smile in place. He'd almost thought he'd done it well until Wufei gave him a weird look. Quatre put his hand on Duo's shoulder before heading up after Heero and Relena to the woman's room. He trudged up, too, Trowa right behind him. Duo found himself distracted when he shouldn't be. Trowa looked around, then looked at Duo. He just shrugged and entered the palace.

Zechs was right there inside, leading Relena further in and instructing the butler to shut the door. Duo felt something similar to hackles raising and took a deep breath. He had to stop thinking like a dog. And why the hell was he looking at the brooch on Relena's dress? Just because it was yellow and pink? Gods, he was still caught on color. He probably wouldn't notice an enemy at all unless they were dressed like clowns.

They were led up to Relena's room again, and now Duo got the chance to see the mahogany banisters and the colors of the pictures on the walls. He tried to pay attention to movement, to sound. But suddenly things seemed too muted, too difficult to make out. He found it suddenly strange that he couldn't smell the cat piss on Trowa's shoe, couldn't smell the baby powder on Quatre or the spicy scent that lingered on Wufei's skin. And Heero. Suddenly he couldn't smell the wood or the shampoo like he had. He couldn't see every shift of clothing or every twitch of fingers. And though he could now see colors, he couldn't see those eyes burning out from the grayed-out world. He paused on the stairs and looked around, suddenly feeling very lost. He'd grown up all his life as a human. Why had a few days taken from him the familiarity of it?

He didn't know how long he stood there, but suddenly Heero was coming back down, the others gone from sight. Heero stood two steps above him, one hand on the banister. "Duo?"

He looked up. "Heero." He grimaced; he sounded like he was trying to reconstruct the stupid Heero-Relena thing. "I'm coming." Heero frowned and watched him as he made his way up the steps, forcing himself to think of walking on two legs as natural. He found himself almost wanting to fall over. He shook it off as Heero took a place slightly behind him, keeping pace with Duo even though he walked slowly. He could feel Heero's eyes on his back.

The others were waiting in Relena's room. Even Zechs had decided to join them. They were scattered around various pieces of the area, Trowa leaning on the far wall, Quatre sitting on the blankets left on the floor beside him, meant for Duo. Wufei and Zechs were by the closet, Relena on her bed waiting for them. She smiled as they entered. "I'm glad everything turned out all right."

"It isn't over yet," Heero said. He led Duo to the side of the room and closed the door. Duo was kept on the inside of the room, while Heero leaned against the wall right beside the door. Stupid mother-henning partner. "That's why we had you cancel your appointments."

"I knew the conflict wasn't over," she said, shooting Heero a mock-dirty look. Duo blinked in surprise; he didn't think she was capable of showing Heero anything but adoration. "But I'm still glad your... I'm glad Mr. Maxwell isn't hurt."

Mr. Maxwell? Duo looked down and cleared his throat. He'd been the one to make this distance, after all. "Duo's fine."

She smiled. "Then, Duo. I'm glad you're... human again." She frowned at the stumble, but he just quirked a grin.

"I completely understand how weird that sounds. I have trouble saying it, myself."

She smiled.

"Moving on." Zechs looked over to Heero, and Duo saw absolutely no tension in either of them. He blinked. "You said the leader is dead. That means he left something for his subordinates?"

Heero nodded and crossed his arms. Duo recognized the stance from the war. If Heero was getting into war mode, shouldn't he be feeling a little uncomfortable with Zechs' proximity? His brows furrowed. "From what Duo tells us, yes. We don't know what, though."

Duo looked down, for a moment ashamed once more of his actions. They'd sworn during the Maremaia incident to not kill again. Shit; his actions as a canine may have ruined their chances to stop their enemies in time. Heero was looking at him when he raised his head again. His partner tilted his head, his gaze sending the message that there was no blame associated with what he'd done. He smiled for Heero and turned back to the others. Quatre was looking at him, and he waggled his eyebrows for the blond until the man grinned.

"I've asked around," Zechs said, and he moved from beside Wufei to come up to Relena. "They're ultimate plan is to get to Relena, correct?"

"That's right," Quatre said, and he leaned forward to put his arms on the bed. He propped his head up and looked over to Duo. "If they feel they've been pushed into a corner, they will most likely alter their target from us to her. The entire plan was to get to her, right from the start. They only attacked us first because they knew we would get in their way."

Zechs looked over to Duo then, but though he prepared himself for an insult, Zechs just looked away again. "But they only managed to get Maxwell."

He knew he was reading too much into it, but it sounded a lot like Zechs was burning him. He glared at the man. "It was luck," Heero said. "We all could have been caught. Only Duo, however, drank his own drink that night." Duo thought he saw Heero wince slightly at that. When Zechs narrowed his eyes slightly, he knew he hadn't made it up. Was it because Heero was upset that Duo had been poisoned? He thought he remembered Heero wincing before for the same reason.

"I believe Winsley may have more information."

Heero frowned. "We questioned him. He didn't have anything more than what he told us."

"I do not mean Lionel." Zechs sat next to his sister, who watched everyone speak with her hands folded in her lap. He looked at her and put a hand on her shoulder before turning back to Heero. "He happens to have an older sister."

Duo leaned forward then. "How does this matter?"

Zechs looked at him. It was a weird look, almost considering, kind of contemplative. Duo narrowed his eyes and jutted out his chin. The action made Zechs smirk. What the hell? "According to the news in the underground, Winsley's sister has been showing up a lot lately and speaking with men associated with the heavier side of the market. She's also cut her hair and taken to wearing sunglasses."

If that was true, then she was hoping to get somewhere unrecognized. Considering what they were dealing with, a woman who dabbled in the black market weapons and altered her appearance would definitely set off alarm bells. Damn Zechs for being useful. And weird. He was definitely being very weird.

The man stood then and moved to the door. "I'll see if I can find anything about her whereabouts. I'll come get you when I can. For now, the five of you should rest. Relena, you, too. They can't if you don't."

She flicked her hair back and humphed. "I know that!" She stood and shooed him out before closing the door. She took a deep breath, then turned to them and smiled. "Milliardo's right; you guys look like you need a break." She moved to Duo and looked up at him. If he hadn't had the wall behind him, he would have taken a step back. Why the hell was he afraid of the princess? She was only looking at his eyes like she wanted to find something in them. Finally she stopped and beamed, and she reached forward and pulled his hand into hers. "I'm sure you'll be good for my brother," she said, and Duo sputtered.

"What?"

"Relena." Heero frowned at her.

She turned that bright blue gaze on him and blinked. "What?" Then she gasped and turned to Duo again, then back to Heero. "You mean he...! Oh! I'm so sorry! It's not like that; I doubt you and Milliardo would get on that well! He's such a stickler, and from what I know of you, you're very wild..." She cleared her throat and smiled up at Duo again. "Let's try that again, shall we? I think you and Heero are very good for one another."

Duo blushed crimson. Um, what was going on?

"Relena." This time it was more like a hiss.

She turned on him. "Don't you wait for this, Heero Yuy!" Duo looked at them, at how she leaned up and pointed her finger into his face. It would always amaze him how much Heero let Relena get away with. Anyone else would have gotten their finger broken. Maybe even himself, though he'd never been dumb enough to try and find out. "Don't you dare wait any longer! I won't see you in that state again, do you hear me? You have an obligation to..."

Duo noticed the other three get up and start moving to the exit and wanted to laugh. They all slipped out, Wufei holding the door and giving Heero a careful look before nodding to Duo and closing the door. It was as if Wufei was saying he would remember his fallen comrade.

Duo was left alone with the two.

He looked at Heero's face. Those lips pulled back, the eyes widened. Heero looked almost ready to break. It was a fragile look. Duo thought of the picture on Relena's side table and touched Relena's shoulder. "All right, all right. Heero's too damn tired to think of a witty retort right now." And he gently got in-between her and Heero, shielding him from her words. "All he'll be able to think of is that stupid 'I'll kill you' thing, and it's grown old." He almost expected a snarky comment from Heero, but the man was silent. Relena just looked at Duo, then Heero behind him, and finally she backed up on her own.

"Sorry," she said, her eyes on the ground. But her shoulders were back and her spine was straight. She didn't mean it. Duo quirked his lips into a smile for her, anyway.

"No problems there, princess. The sight of you in Heero's face was rather entertaining." Relena smiled up at him then, and Duo thought he heard that huff of a laugh, a little louder than Heero probably intended it.

Relena grabbed his hand again and tugged on it just a bit. "I want to get to know you better," she said suddenly, and seemed almost surprised the words had left her lips. Duo blinked down at her. "I really want to get to know you."

"A-All right." Apparently appeased, she gave Heero one last significant look and left the room, gently clicking the door closed. Heero reached out and locked it without looking, his eyes almost glazed. Duo turned to face him. "Heero?"

Heero sighed and closed his eyes. One hand rose to pinch the bridge of his nose. The fragile look was gone, at least, but in its place was something akin to struggling for air. Duo decided the best course of action was to pretend he'd never heard Relena speak. "So this Winsley guy. He's the one you went and talked to before, right? While I was napping in here on the blankets?" Duo looked at the things and grinned, but he didn't feel like smiling. It was creepy to know he'd spent his time as a dog, scary to realize this was the first time he was seeing this room as a human. The walls were pale pink, the make-up predominantly pastels. The bed was pink, too, but a bolder shade, with white and pink pillows. Pink really was everywhere, and it did hurt his eyes to see it all, yet he was so damn happy he could see the colors that he just couldn't care. "Shit, this place is frou-frou."

He turned just in time to see a small smile on Heero's face. "It's definitely... designed for Relena." Heero smirked at Duo's pointedly raised eyebrow. "And yes. That's Winsley. He didn't know much, though. If his sister truly is involved, then he didn't know."

Duo nodded. "Okay then." He scanned the room; Relena had a couple of paintings on the walls, and though each had pink flowers in them, they also had white cottages and gushing blue streams. Trees bordered the frames of each picture. "It's weird," he said, unable to help himself. "I didn't even notice the paintings... before. It's like they didn't exist." All except for one, but that one had a very precise subject.

Heero was silent, and too late Duo realized that he'd broached the awkward subject again. They were dancing around things that couldn't be said. Maybe that was what Relena had meant? Because he certainly hadn't understood the 'brother' comment or the 'obligation' thing. He frowned, then just said to hell with it and turned to Heero. "Heero. That... 'brother' thing." Heero lifted his head slightly, telling Duo to continue. "What was she on about? Are the two of you related?"

Heero shook his head, and Duo had a bastard mix of gratefulness and pain. So Heero wasn't related to Relena, which would have been weird and somewhat creepy. But did that mean that he and Relena were together? No, that wouldn't mix. So Heero and... Zechs?

Something dark and hungry roiled in his gut.

"We aren't related," Heero said, answering that again with words. "But..." Uh-oh. 'But's were never good. "Relena found out that I have no family." Found out? And yet Duo felt something in him claw around, something he'd thought long dead. He didn't have a family, either. "So she spoke with Zechs and..." He blushed. Duo blinked and watched that skin turn pink and wondered if he'd entered the Twilight Zone. "They adopted me."

Duo's jaw dropped.

Heero watched Duo's reaction before looking away. If he’d hoped to hide the blush before, there was no doing so now. He crossed his arms. "She was rather insistent, and... I'd already begun thinking of her as a sort of sister. Zechs is all right, too, and has become a sort of brother figure to me, as well. He also apologized... for the war."

Twilight Zone. Pod people. Aliens. Clones. Dream – no, nightmare. But he didn't think his mind was quite warped enough to think of that one all on his own. His head tried to wrap around the idea of Heero and Relena and Zechs all rolled up in one big family package, and he felt his brain break. Then, despite everything, something in him started hurting. Family. Through Relena and Zechs, Heero had found a family. And Duo had no doubt that Heero had needed it; he remembered, way back when Duo had left Hilde to join with Preventors, seeing Heero again. The man had been cold and standoffish and had seemed a bit lost. Duo had understood; it had been why he'd joined Preventors, after all. The homey, domestic life Hilde had tried to give him had left him confused and unsettled. Meanwhile, Duo had seen a difference in Heero over time. He'd known it wasn't due to him. It was probably this, the grounding and support offered to him by the Peacecrafts. No wonder Heero seemed so comfortable around them.

"I... see." Duo pulled up the vestiges of himself and slapped them back together. "I'm glad, then." He smiled for Heero. The blush disappeared as Heero watched Duo move around the room. "It's good that you're not alone anymore. Though I'm surprised Zechs actually apologized for something. How the hell'd you get him to do it?"

"He did it on his own. He has honor. Now that the war is over, he has no more reason to harm us. Though he does often demand sparring matches."

Duo didn't look at Heero's face, yet he still knew that tiny smile was there. Duo felt something clawing inside him, something with gnashing teeth and beady eyes. "Huh. Never would've expected it of him." Did that mean that Duo was the only one without a family now? Quatre had his family. Wufei lost his clan, but he'd found other survivors, and they'd all grouped together. It was why they hadn't seen the man the year after the war; he'd been bringing his clan back together again. And Trowa had the circus and Catherine, who apparently was his actual, biological sister. And now Heero had the Peacecrafts. He took a deep breath and looked at Heero. "How come you don't live with them?"

The smile on Heero's face slid as Heero searched Duo's face. Duo tilted his head and let his own smile dim; he'd learned some new rules when it came to Heero. Finally his partner sighed and shook his head. "I couldn't survive here. I'm still too much the soldier. Zechs feels it, too; it's why he goes to the Underground so much," he said, referring to the world of thieves and illegal marketing. "He's afraid of losing the soldier in him. Sometimes I am, too."

Duo grinned outright at that, and he forced his darker thoughts to the side. "I don't think you need to worry about that. You're always screwing the physical exam score curve in Preventors. The lower ranking members always get slightly pissed about it."

Heero smirked. "Then they should work harder."

Duo rolled his eyes. "I'm sure they'll get right on that." He touched the lace on Relena's pillows, then moved to the window and looked outside, wanting to see something, anything to keep the conversation away from any of the many land mines that had grown between them. The palace – fine, fine, since she was Heero's technical sister now, he would call it an estate – had what seemed like miles of empty back yardage, with a small, thin blanket of trees at the end, most likely for run-off. There were enough rose bushes to make a macho man weep. Duo sighed and plopped down on the blankets below.

The window crashed to pieces. Heero hissed and rolled, then stood with his gun in his hand. Duo saw blood on Heero's cheek. Duo cursed and scrambled out of Heero's way. He was still in the clothes the hospital had given him, completely unarmed. "The sniper again," he hissed, and looked around. He couldn't follow the scent of the gunpowder this time, and there was no way they were going to get to the treeline before the person was gone. Heero went to the window, anyway, and called out his status as "clear." Duo did the same.

"It's a trap," Duo hissed then. "There's no way that sniper thought I was Relena. My hair's brown and I'm in hospital garb. They want us to go out there."

"It's their attack," Heero agreed. "It's started."

Duo called out the news to the others, and they all agreed to let the person run off without being pursued. Instead Trowa and Wufei went to get Relena and left Quatre outside their door to call in the moment anything happened outside. Heero glanced out the window for a short second before pulling himself back to its side. "I doubt they're still out there."

"Same." Still Duo's heart pounded in his ears. He felt the touches of adrenaline as if they were foreign, singing through his fingers. He wanted a gun. He wanted to run, to jump on his haunches and sink his teeth into someone. He took a deep breath. Was this an aftereffect of the damn poison? Had it sunk into his head enough that he would never be fully human again? He shivered at the thought. "But they started the game before us. We're back to serious disadvantages."

"We're used to them." Heero sent Duo his battle grin and went to leave the room. As he did, Duo heard the sound of some sort of vehicle. By the volume of its engine, he would guess a motorcycle or something. There went the sniper. He turned to let Heero know.

"We can't find Relena!" Trowa said. Heero froze on his way to the door. "According to Zechs, she'd said she would come back to stay with him after she spoke with her staff to calm them down. She never showed."

Distraction. It had been a distraction.

"Shit!" Duo ran forward then and opened the door. Trowa and Wufei were there beside Quatre, who looked stuck in place. Then Quatre groaned and clutched at his chest, and Trowa went to his side. "Where?" Duo said. "Where was she last?"

"She was with the staff in the kitchen," Trowa started, but Duo was already running past him, bum leg and all, hobbling out and down the stairs, feeling something gripping his throat. Quatre must have been feeling Heero's pain. And what could Duo do to console him? His sister had just disappeared. Duo needed to move, to do something, before that dark thing inside him clawed its way out and hurt Heero even more. Before he demanded to know why he'd lost the thread of loneliness that he'd thought he'd had with Heero. Why he was the only one left alone now, even though he hated the idea of loneliness more than anyone else.

The staff in the kitchen was out cold, one lying on his side in front of a still-heating stove. Duo turned it off and ducked away from the windows. He couldn't rely on scent anymore, and his eyesight felt too different. His hearing was like cottonballs had been shoved in his ears. But hell if he hadn't worked with even less during the war. He strained his poor human senses, but he couldn't hear or see or smell anyone. He thought he could smell Relena's flowers, but that could just be the backyard through the huge screen doors in the dining room off the kitchen's right. He dodged around the windows to the dining room and looked at the lock. It had been picked. Then it wasn't someone on the inside, most likely. Duo doubted Zechs and Heero had let the chance of such slip.

The back yard was empty, and had been when Duo had looked out. Had the sniper shot at him for pure distraction, or had there been another motive? Had he been shot at to keep him away from the window? He scowled. In any case, whoever had come to grab Relena had to have stayed close by in order to grab her and take her away. And there would have been multiple security measures to get through, with no places to hide...

Duo hissed. In any case, she wasn't here anymore. That was for sure.

He wanted to run out and find her, but he knew the danger was still too real. He plastered himself to the wall beside the screen doors and peeked out. He thought he could see the imprints of footprints cutting through the grass. How much longer would he have before the grass started springing back up, hiding the tracks? The chances of the sniper being there were slim, but if there was something the sniper had come to do, they could still be out there. If he left the cover of the house, he'd be in the open until he got his butt back inside. He knew he couldn't do that before a well-trained sniper took him out.

He thought of Heero upstairs, feeling enough pain to make him stop in his tracks with an enemy nearby, a pain strong enough to make Quatre gasp. He hissed again and slammed open the sliding glass door. He heard someone behind him, but he didn't spare them a thought. He just knew that whoever it was was an ally, though one he still wasn't particularly fond of, and that information was all he needed.

He remembered he was unarmed just in time to regret stepping out. But he wasn't shot at and he couldn't use the damn thing on a sniper, anyway. He slipped to the bushes and looked at the grass. Yes, that was definitely an imprint, but the prints looked like the perpetrator was taking his time. The steps were short and slightly heavy. It would make sense if whoever it was had been carrying Relena out of the building. He followed the tracks through the grass. He couldn't smell things like he used to, and he couldn't see the minute twitches of the grass the way his dog eyes had. Still, he could see a sort of path leading to the side of the building, and he could see how they led to the shed behind the garage. Inside had most likely been a vehicle of some sort; Duo could see tire tracks that led to the driveway and out. He frowned. Just as he’d thought; that vehicle hadn’t been the sniper at all, but the kidnapper. But how did this person manage to rig up the thing without anyone catching them? Unless…

He sneaked to the wall and followed the line of it to the tire tracks. He hunched over on the balls of his feet to get a better look. And why would the enemy take her, anyway? They wanted her dead. He scowled and looked at the tracks again. They weren't high heels, but they were perhaps fairly small. Not a man, most likely. Was it the woman? Then who was the sniper? Duo looked around again, but nothing was out of place. How in the hell would someone have gotten in? Had Lionel Winsley given away information on the building? But Heero and Zechs would have thought of that.

So what the hell?

"Duo!" Duo turned to the voice, and let his Shinigami mask bleed away. Quatre was coming to him, Zechs close behind. "We got a call – Noin has Relena."

Duo collapsed against the wall before he was half thinking about what he was doing. Noin. That was why the person who had Relena had had easy access to the house, the garage, and the vehicle. Thank goodness. Then he jerked himself back up. "Quatre, you shouldn't be out here."

"And you should be?" Duo had nothing to say to that one, and Quatre leaned down to help pull Duo up. "According to her, there was a gas in the air when she entered through the back, and she saw Relena. She grabbed her and took off without giving it another thought. She just called Zechs and Heero."

Duo pulled his hand out of Quatre's, seeing in the blond's face a mixture of emotions that said he'd felt Duo's emotions. "So Relena's okay?"

Quatre nodded. "I don't know if it was a real attack or another distraction, but for now, Relena's still all right."

"It was probably a warning," Duo said, just as Zechs opened his mouth to speak. The man nodded behind Quatre. "They want us to know they have control of the situation."

"Noin will take her to an undisclosed location," Zechs said, "and will take care of her until we can stop this. The estate is no longer safe."

"Come on," Quatre said then. "Let's go back inside." Quatre turned right around and hurried them back into the not-safe building. Duo could already guess that Heero would be ready to leave again, no longer willing to rest. He had to get a change of outfit and a weapon, or else he would definitely be left behind again.

They were led back through the dining room, through the kitchen, where the butler and a couple of others were slowly moving everyone from the kitchen to presumably more comfortable resting areas, then back through the long hall to the entrance and the stairway. Heero was already coming down, Wufei and Trowa just behind him. "We're heading out," Heero said, looking at Duo. "We're going to the Preventers, then the Underground. We're tracking down Winsley."

"I'll keep track of things from here," Zechs said. Apparently Merquise had at least learned the futility of arguing with Heero when he was like this.

"Duo." Heero looked at him and paused for a moment. "You shouldn't come."

Duo flipped Heero the bird. "No way in hell am I letting the emo of our little partnership out on his own without a leash." Heero blinked, but Duo was already walking up to him. "I'm not letting you do this alone," he hissed, and watched as something flickered through Heero's deep ocean eyes. "Got it?"

"Yes," Heero said, his voice dropping to a low murmur. Those deep blue eyes burned. Then they were all heading out, Duo forced to take the middle since he was completely useless for the moment. They were in the Preventer car this time, riding once again alone as the other three took off, this time in Quatre's car, and Duo left the radio off for Heero, whose mind was probably working a mile a minute. Heero started the engine, and they were on the road. Duo looked out the window as Heero turned on the siren and zoomed through traffic.

Duo turned from the colors and flashes of images outside to look at Heero. His lips were thin, his brows drawn low over his eyes. His hands on the wheel were tight, the knuckles almost white. "Noin will take care of her," he said. "She did it during the war, didn't she? And Relena had been in even more danger then."

"I know."

Knowing was one thing. Worrying was another. "We'll stop them," he said then, and turned his eyes to the back, searching for anyone that may be following them. Quatre's car was a few cars behind, but that was the only one that stuck out for now. Duo turned back to the front. "They didn't even know what the hell their stupid poison would do."

Heero's phone rang then. Duo picked it up for him. "Hi-hi!"

"Maxwell. Glad to hear you're well and checking yourself out of the hospital early," Une said as greeting. "Where are you?"

"Heading your way. We're on the Interstate, just a couple minutes away. What's up?" Duo looked out the back again, but they were still safe.

"We just received another message from Turris."

Duo hissed. "All right. Another message. And it said...?" Duo looked at Heero. The man's lips pulled back for a short second before the eerie calm spread over his features. Perfect Soldier mode. Duo felt a thrill of something in his gut, even as it bit and snarled. Heero was so worried about Relena that he had to forcefully rip on the soldier's mask. Envy was a black thing in his chest, warring with its twin for attention. He ignored them both.

"It said they would release the poison into a city's water supply if we did not hand over Relena Peacecraft."

Duo closed his eyes. That fucking poison. "Do we have the antidote?"

"Yes, but not enough of it, and we wouldn't be able to stop the spread to the neighboring towns. You know that, Maxwell."

Yeah, he knew it. He just didn't want to think about it. He looked at Heero and relayed the message. Heero's eyes flashed, but there was no other reaction. Yeah, he was in soldier mode, all right. "Message received," Heero said, and Duo almost wanted to flinch. He really hated that tone of voice. He preferred the sarcasm.

If the poison was spread, they'd be screwed. It was already made plain that the enemy had ways of getting near Relena. Somehow, a gas had been loosed in the kitchen. Since they'd been cooking, it most likely would have come from the stove or something. But that meant that someone could have just shot a flare or something into the kitchen, and Relena would have been, at the very least, injured. Again, a warning. And now this. Even if they refused to hand over Relena, Turris was saying they could still get to her – they would just also harm the entire city. It was a lose-lose situation for them, with nothing they could really do to stop it. Not without first finding and stopping Winsley, and that was __if__ the woman was involved with Turris in some way. "Hey, we need to catch the Winsley lady. What's her first name?" Duo turned to Heero.

"Zechs said her full name was Lola Arielle Winsley."

"I'll get someone on it." With that, Une ended the call. Duo did the same and turned to Heero. The man's fingers no longer clenched on the wheel, his face no longer asked the miles in front of him to disappear.

Duo wanted to be able to do the same. He wanted to be able to turn his mind off when he looked at Heero, wanted to stop thinking of the man as someone with a family. He wanted to stop thinking of him as a stranger. Just because Heero had a family now didn't mean he was a different person. Hell, it was only that Duo had just now found out. Heero had been a family man for a while now. Duo just hadn't known.

It was stupid to feel betrayed by that, too.

But he did.


	12. One Must Talk Soothingly To the Dog Until One Has Passed It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew chases down a lead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got tired of editing halfway through this. I just want to get the rest up on AO3!

They arrived at Preventers Headquarters without any incident, though Quatre's car was so far behind them that Duo hadn't seen it when they turned into the parking garage. Heero didn't seem to look, let alone care. They were parked and out of there in less than a minute. Heero swiped his ID beside the door and led the way inside, pausing only to make sure Duo got in safely before shutting the door behind him. The walk to the lobby was made in silence, though the actual trip _through_ the lobby was filled with much murmuring and shifty looks. Duo scowled at the people staring at him.

Then it was up the familiar flight of steps – they'd been going up and down a lot of steps lately – and then past the receptionist desk and into Une's office. The woman was on the phone when they entered. Duo closed the door behind them. "They just arrived." She paused. "No, I will do no such thing. Agent Maxwell is supposed to meet up with Po, anyway." She took the chance to glare at Duo as she spoke. "He apparently decided it unnecessary to get himself properly checked before signing out of the hospital."

Duo looked away and studied the room. Sally was all right, then. That was good. He'd already been here plenty of times, and he was comforted by the familiarity of what he saw. The floor was a neutral beige, the desk a deep brown. It wasn't the first time he noticed the brownness of the room, but it hit him for the first time in a while. He was glad for it. A familiar feeling was welcome at this point.

"Yes, I'll make sure he goes to see her." Duo stuck his tongue out at Une as she ended the call and lifted her brow at Heero. "So you felt the need to rush over here?"

"Winsley."

Une sighed and gave up on small talk. She held out a thin file. "This is all we've found in the five minutes since you contacted me." Heero strode forward and took it from her hands. He began reading it even as she spoke. "She's been busy. According to that report, she's been spotted in there twice already today, and she went in a third time about an hour ago. She–" But Heero was already moving, already leaving Une's office. Duo growled and went to catch up with him. "Agent Maxwell, you had better be moving to Po's office."

Duo stopped and glared over his shoulder. "I'll go there only if my partner does." The woman couldn't well argue; it was her own damn policy to have agents work in pairs. Duo rushed out the door and almost slammed into Heero's back. "...Heero?"

"Let's get you a weapon," Heero said, his eyes on the ground. He started moving quickly again, his strides a little less forceful.

"Can I get dressed, then?" he asked, and skipped to Heero's side. He knew what Heero had really meant – let's get you out of the target practice suit. Stupid mother-henning. But at least it had gotten Heero to calm down before he actually rushed into a situation again. The last time he'd done it, it had been to kill Duo, and the idiot hadn't even formed an escape plan.

They went down to the showers and Duo stopped off at his locker. He had one Preventors outfit left inside, dirty from the bust but otherwise fine. Duo stripped and put on the clothes, then grabbed his spare gun and grinned, twirling it around before holstering it. Heero wasn't watching him, however, and Duo stopped for a second before he closed his locker and clued Heero in to the fact that he was done. He thought there might be another pink tinge on Heero's cheeks. Was he making it up? The man had actually put his hands behind his body, too. That was unusual.

Pod people. It had to be pod people.

Duo banged his locker shut and stretched, feeling decidedly human as he did so. Dogs don't stretch like people do. People can stretch their entire spines all at once. Dogs had to shift to get it all. He stopped stretching and grinned at Heero, who was now looking at him with a slightly wide gaze. "Shall we go, then, and get this damn woman?"

"Po first," Heero said, and the words surprised him.

"We don't really have time for that."

"We also have no idea what lasting effects the drug might have on you," Heero pointed out. "It would be tactically unwise to have you in the field without a medic’s clearance."

Duo rolled his eyes and let himself be led out of the locker room and back up to Sally's office on the ground floor. Po was just on her way to her office, looking put-upon and harried. She caught sight of them and scowled. "Thanks so much for feeling up to seeing me, Maxwell," she hissed as greeting. "I wasn't the least bit troubled by you launching off without a word to myself or another doctor."

"Sorry," he said, and he really did feel bad. She kept scowling as she unlocked the door. "I'm glad you weren't hurt. Who was?"

She sighed and seemed to give up, simply waving them inside. "Two subs of mine are in critical condition. Four others were injured."

"Including you?" Heero asked, his voice quiet, and she sighed again as Duo entered and sat on the table, feeling a bit weird now that he'd been there as a dog. "I only sustained minor lacerations from the broken glass. No infections. Thankfully no one got altered by the poison, or we'd have a whole different set of problems." She shooed Heero to a chair and looked Duo over. "Well, you don't look like a dog anymore, and you aren't dead yet. Those are good signs."

"Thanks." She bent over him and took his blood pressure, his temperature, his reflexes. Heero sat in the chair with a spine straight as a line and watched the entire process. She searched his eyes, ears, freaking nose. She wrote shit in a clipboard. Duo felt like a bug on a wall. "Okay, and your verdict is...?"

"Alive," she said, and put her pen to her lips. "I don't see anything lasting physically. Mentally..." She stepped back. "Have you had any trouble of any kind?"

Duo looked over to Heero, and at the look Heero leaned forward. Crap. Caught already. "Uh, a little bit." He held up his hands when Heero looked ready to launch himself from the chair. "I had a hard time remembering my time as a dog at first. It's like it had to filter in or something. And I feel... awkward. Like I don't belong in this body. I feel slow when I run, and I feel like there's a sort of cottonball or something clogging my nose and ears."

Heero did stand then, though he didn't move to Duo's side. His fists clenched as Sally wrote it all down on that damn clipboard. "It sounds like you're just readjusting to your human body, but let me know if the feeling persists. Got it?" Duo nodded at the glare she sent him. "Good. The memories should all come back."

Duo nodded. "They have."

"Good," she said again. She took the clipboard to her desk. "And the physical problems?"

Duo shrugged. Heero was staring right at him, watching every single movement he made. As if he would lie about something this potentially important. "I'm still... dealing."

"You're staying here." Heero made to leave.

"The hell I am!" Duo stomped over to Heero and glared up at him, blocking his exit. "Just because I'm getting used to being human doesn't mean I can't fight."

"You ran out unprotected earlier!" Duo saw Sally turn to him with a gleam in her eyes and wanted to hit Heero. "You said yourself that you feel clumsy in your body. How can you possibly fight in that condition?"

"Are you really trying to pull that one out when you damn well know I've fought in worse?" Heero at least had the grace to grimace at that, and Sally came back over to them.

"Explain."

Duo did, shooting dark looks at Heero the entire time, though the man seemed to have recovered from his guilt rather admirably and was now standing like he was getting ready to push Duo down and be done with him. Heero's eyes narrowed when Duo got to the part where he'd rushed out. "I knew she wouldn't have been taken far, so I went out to follow."

"Without proper clothing or weaponry," Sally said, raising an eyebrow.

"Lady, I've killed men naked before." Heero's lips pulled back at that. "The sniper was most likely gone, and from the distance she'd been shooting from, she would need at least five seconds to readjust to my new position. I could avoid her by moving quickly. The rest was simply finding her."

Sally seemed ready to say something to that, but Quatre opened the door behind Duo just as she opened her mouth. Behind him were Wufei and Trowa, Wufei looking ready to spit something. Quatre looked at the two of them. "Is this why you rushed?" he asked, and didn't wait for an answer. He probably didn't have to. "Don't go off on your own, Heero. You aren't the only one worried."

It was a gentle reprimand, but it served to get Heero's back up. Duo sighed. "Are we done now, Sally? May I go?"

Sally nodded. "Yes. I expect to see you down here again over the next few days, and if something gets worse or the feelings persist, you come down immediately. Understood?"

"Yeah, yeah." Duo waved her off and smirked at Heero. "See? I'm in the clear."

But when Duo turned to leave, __he__ was blocked off by Quatre. He bit back his sigh this time, but just barely. "What is she talking about?"

Sally shooed them out of her office, so it was out in the hall that Duo gave a repeat performance, telling his other friends about the desire to fall onto all fours and the feeling that he couldn't hear or smell things like he should. Quatre seemed to sag under the weight of Duo's words. Trowa put a hand on the blond's shoulder. Wufei, the only one to react calmly, simply put a finger to his chin as Duo finished. "Interesting. Po is right; it should only be you readjusting to your human body."

"Thanks so much!" Po called from inside her office. It was enough to get Wufei into a shouting match with her. Duo grinned at them.

"Is it really okay for you to come with us in your condition?" Quatre asked. Trowa let go of the man and stepped forward. "You said you don't feel comfortable in your body. That'll make you hesitate, won't it?"

"Maybe." Duo shrugged the idea off. "But I'll do better fighting than not. I'm used to battling. I should adjust quicker, right?"

"But at what expense?" Heero asked.

Duo looked at the man like he was crazy. "Are you kidding? I have the strongest, most ridiculously powerful partner in the freakin' world. I think I can handle a fumble or two, don't you?"

Heero blinked at that. Apparently he'd stumbled on a land mine; no one seemed willing to break the sudden silence. Duo caught Quatre out of the corner of his eye, grinning like the Cheshire Cat and almost rubbing his hands together. He blushed and cleared his throat. "I mean, I can damn well handle myself, but even if I screw up royally, you're able to fight for ten men, so–"

"Understood," Heero said, and Duo looked up into his face and saw the Perfect Soldier there. "Mission accepted."

Duo didn't know how to interpret that one. Quatre rounded them all up and brought them to Une before he could wrap his mind around whether it was a good thing that Heero took his life as important enough to be treated as a mission or a bad thing that Heero couldn't just say 'okay' or something. Duo worried about it longer than he should have; Une had already called up some back-up troops by the time he'd managed to get his head out of his ass.

* * *

Things changed slightly then; they changed into their vests and whatnot with their back-ups, and somebody joked about having done it for the third time in the past few days. Duo had to remember that Heero and the others had been in fights without him. This would be the first time he'd truly entered a battle since he'd turned dog. For all the bull he'd spouted earlier, he really was worried about what it would mean for him. He found the vest both comfortable and awkward at the same time. When he held his gun in his hand, he felt the weight as one would both a lost limb reconnected and a foreign appendage, all rolled up into one. He felt like cradling the gun, just as he felt an urge to throw it, to have his hand free to claw and run. The instincts pulled at each other until he wanted to scream.

But when everyone got into the bulletproof Preventors van, Duo did, too, clutching his weapons like they could perhaps grow more familiar the tighter he pressed the metal to his skin. Heero watched the movements he made with narrowed eyes.

Duo was pulled into conversations then; people asking him where he'd been, if he was okay. Apparently no one had been told of his time as a dog, or he was sure he would have gotten different questions than he did. He answered as vaguely as possible. The jester's mask seemed familiar enough when he put it on, and he realized that he'd used it even as a dog. He held on to that for all it was worth; here, here was a part of him that had come through both sides, that didn't feel out of place, that didn't shift his reality. He'd been the happy-go-lucky guy both times, even when things had seemed like they were on a never-ending downward spiral. Even though they still were.

He looked over to Heero, sitting directly across from him beside Wufei, and caught the man's eye. He thought of how alone Heero had seemed during the war. It still hurt, thinking that he was the only one still alone, but Heero deserved to be happy, and Duo would be happy for him. He smiled.

Heero's eyes narrowed.

* * *

"She hasn't left yet?"

"No, sir." Heero leaned over the man on the communication line in the van. They were less than a minute from their destination, everyone ready to leave the van as soon as they stopped. "According to Gary, she hasn't moved. If they know we're coming, no one's showing it."

"Of course not," Heero said. "Doing so would attract attention." The only reason the Underground still existed was because there was never enough proof of the goings-on to round everyone up. Another reason to hate the red-tape associated with peace. Heero turned to Wufei, who stood next to him watching another man as he traced the route through the Underground to where Lola Winsley had last been seen. Heero and Duo would play back and front, Trowa and Wufei the sides. The other teams would work in twos with them. They set up in the van, getting next to their partners, and Duo introduced himself to his two teammates. They weren't new, but Duo hadn't ever worked with them before. One of them was looking over his gun so much Duo thought he might be slightly obsessive. The other had his head leaned back and his eyes closed.

Well, whatever. As long as they didn't turn on him, he didn't really care. His first and second priorities were to catch the bitch and make her fess up. His third was to take his pain and strangle it to death. The numbness he'd achieved, thinking about Heero's new family, wouldn't last forever. He needed to get himself together before he and Heero had to deal with paperwork alone in their office. He should be happy for Heero, not sorry for himself. That wasn't what Heero needed. It wasn't what __he__ needed.

They stopped a block from the Underground entrance, just off the subway station and through three back alleys, into the back room of a deli, of all places, and while Heero left to take that open route, Duo slipped out and led his two allies around three different blocks, each a little less clean than the last, until the garbage bins were overflowing with things that the two men with him avoided like the plague. He found another piece of comfort at the smells. He recognized a half-eaten plate of pasta and an untouched roll of garlic bread and remembered digging through less well-stocked bins as a child. It was almost like something slipped back into place, and he was running a bit differently now, his legs bending just a bit less, accommodating his leg cast more, his body streamlining. He found himself pulling out in front of the two following him and had to slow down slightly. He knew a different entrance to the Underground was up ahead, a recess through the sewer to end up in the lost, forgotten paths of the old subway station below. Somewhere down there was Lola Winsley, possibly planning a sudden infestation of stray dogs within the city's populace.

His two allies were breathing a little harder than they probably should have been, and Duo sent them a quick look. Their eyes were clear, their shoulders only slightly hunched. Duo sunk into a crouch and led them forward once more, giving them a chance to catch their breaths as they reached the sewage pipe. Duo wasn't looking forward to this part, and for the first time he was pleased to not have the sense of smell he'd had as a dog.

The other two came forward then, pulling the heavy grate back. Duo kept his gun trained on the pipe below, but nothing popped out and no one shot at them, so he dropped down, catching his fall on the thin walk below the pipe, almost stumbling with his bad leg. The others came down the ladder as he watched for any movement. Nothing. No one. By now, Heero's group had to have met up with the Underground, though they would be acting as if they were just looking around. If anything strange happened, Duo's team would be alerted through the communication units strapped to their ears. Duo rushed forward, anyway, knowing his team's timing had to be perfect.

The sewer branched off in five different directions. Duo led them to the crawl-pipe they had to rush through, the one spitting out water in short trickles that fell into the little stream beside their walkway. It wasn't like in movies, with either a river of blue or green water. It was much less, mostly clean but holding a few unmentionables that would be caught and cleared out once the water reached the city's filtering system. Duo was the first to crawl in, careful to keep his gun away from the water, and led the way through to the other end. Above this end was another pipe. This one would lead to one of the grates in the subway station. The place wasn't cleared of civilians, and they had to move through with weapons and uniforms without causing a panic. They wouldn't be coming out from the platform, but they'd be close enough to start trouble. Duo paused before they went through. "You two do as I do, nothing more, nothing less," he said, his voice carefully low, and waited for both to sign that they understood before he moved on.

They went through the second pipe then, and one of the men behind him cursed. He paused until his leg was tapped, then they were just underneath the grate that led to the subway station. Duo saw the platform next to him, saw people milling around waiting for their rides. He tested the grate and felt the resistance of something that hadn't moved for ages. His burned arm winced as he threw his weight into moving it, testing it and pushing it in turns, like one afraid to let loose a fart. There was a creaking that made Duo stop and look to the civilians. None noticed, however, and he managed to get the damn thing off. He slid up with his upper arms only and hugged the wall of the station as he pushed himself up. The other two did the same, following his movements almost to the letter, though one took a little too long getting into the shadows of the wall and a civilian almost caught him. Duo knew better than to try to move the grate back and just made sure it was well away from the tracks. Then they went down the tracks, bending down into a small piece of what looked to be broken stone on the bottom of the wall, coming out the other side to what could be called a modern-day bazaar.

People turned when they saw him enter, and most seemed to cut their conversations off mid-word. Duo's teammates pulled in from behind, and Duo watched each person as they started limping, begging, hunching over. His lips thinned at the act, but this wasn't what he'd come here for. Not today. His eyes slid around the area, but the only women he saw were old or long-haired. The only one with short hair was an Asian. He dismissed them all as the comm piece crackled slightly in his ear. "She's running," Heero said, his voice clipped. "Eastbound."

"Great," Trowa said. "She's mine."

"Ours," said a voice Duo recognized, a Preventor who had worked with Duo a few times.

"We're at the back," Duo said, pointing at the two with him to do a quick sweep. People around him stared, their hunched forms tense. "We're looking for someone," Duo said. "Please, don't be afraid. Go on with your business."

"Who're you looking for?" an old lady asked, and Duo looked at her. She really was old; he recognized the wrinkles and thin arms as proof and felt another piece of himself click into place. Old ladies were easier to steal from, so long as they weren't prostitutes or thieves pretending.

"That's confidential," he said, playing the Vague Card like any good cop. The search was complete before any more notices came through the comm link. Duo led the other two through the throng of people, each kindly getting out of their way, just like any good bum on the streets. They were all playing their parts.

Duo had brought his two cohorts over through the marketplace to the next turn in the lost underground halls when Trowa hissed. "She's running. I got her leg, but she's still going. She's probably gotten in touch with someone by now."

"Converging," Heero said, and Wufei said the same.

"Lead her here," Duo said, and grinned. "Ready, you two?"

"Yes."

"Oh, yeah."

Duo sent a quick grin to the one who said that, not surprised to see the one who'd looked ready to fall asleep in the van. Adrenaline junkie, huh? So Duo turned back and listened as Heero and Wufei caught up to Trowa and they all followed after Lola as she was expertly herded his way. Duo could hear the commotion now, the shouting and exaggerated screams of those hiding who they were down here. He moved forward as the woman came toward him, and without being told, the two with him spread to cover more ground. "She dodges right," Trowa said, and then she spotted Duo. Her sunglasses were tilted, showing off a bit of her eye, the narrowed look to it. She already had a gun out, though it was pointed at the ground for now. She swung around a vendor's wooden bench – one that easily looked like a bed for the homeless – and flipped it over as a sort of cover. So much for dodging.

Duo switched around a chair and kicked it up with his good foot, trusting the other two to find their cover as he propelled the chair toward Lola's bench. He held his gun before him and ducked instinctively into a mini-crouch, his eyes trained on the bench. He saw a flash of hair, another flash of skin. She rolled away from the bench as the chair hit it, bumping it up, down, sliding it sideways. He caught a larger flash of skin and took the shot. She shouted, then rolled again, this time out of her hiding spot. She was bleeding from her left shoulder and her right leg. The leg must've been Trowa's gift.

She turned to Duo, her gaze dropping to his bad leg, seeing somehow that he favored it just slightly. She raised her own gun – more fake screaming came then – and aimed for him, but Duo's two allies got their butts in gear and fired at her, too, each screaming the 'under arrest' bullshit that Duo had forgotten. Whoops. Well, some other Preventor had to have said it before he'd shot her. He doubted Heero would make such a lapse.

She managed to run past Duo's two allies, using 'civilians' as cover, each shouting and screaming rather convincingly then, and Duo saw Heero and Trowa from the corner of his eye as she ran away. He chased after her, back around the turn he'd made before. She was ahead of him, reaching the hole in the wall, returning to the train tracks. If she got to the station, she was as good as gone. Duo hunched around onto his bad leg for a moment, testing its mobility, then he pulled himself forward, ducking his upper body slightly, never fully unbending his knees. She reached the wall and ducked under just as he got within reaching distance. He didn't slow as she had, didn't grab the side of the broken wall as she had. Instead he put his good leg a bit forward, a bit through the hole, and bent onto it, pulling his bad leg off the ground completely, and he ducked under the wall and used his momentum to pull him to the other side. He started tilting, but he was prepared for it and swung around, twisting on his one foot in a two-seventy degree circle until he planted his other foot on the ground and hunched over, gun hoisted before him. He saw her clear as day. "Stop or I'll shoot!"

She didn't stop.

"Well, I warned her." And he shot her ankle.

She rather predictably went down, and Duo started after her, hunching back down. Heero touched his shoulder then. "Mine." And he ran past Duo, chasing after her as Duo gave up the chase and just hunched onto the wall and rubbed his bad leg, mini-cast and all.

Trowa nodded to him and Wufei came out, as well, pushing someone out in front of him. "This guy was with her," Wufei said, and showed off a man with a mohawk far too cleanly cut to be a bum.

Duo cocked his head. "She had to know she'd get caught in no time with a guy like that patched to her leg."

"Considering she threw him at me," Wufei said, grimacing, "the idea of her planning to go anywhere with him is low." The perp's mouth pulled into a snarl, but he kept himself quiet. Duo looked over to Heero as he pulled the woman's hands back and cuffed them. She was being anything but quiet.

"It's too late, you son of a bitch! It's too late! I tried to warn you all, and this is how you thank me?" She pulled and twisted against Heero's grasp as he tugged her up. Duo sighed.

"We'll need an ambulance," he said, speaking for the benefit of those listening over the communication link. "Suspect has received three shots, one to her left shoulder, one to her right leg, one to her right ankle."

"Copy that," someone said, and Duo walked over to Heero as the woman kept screaming. Heero looked rather put-upon.

"You'll be sorry!" She screeched, tugging and pulling like a madwoman. "You'll be sorry once you find out what you've done! We'll find the princess, her and her rescuer, and then it'll be too late for anything you do to matter!"

Duo hissed. Of course he should have remembered that Noin would have been spotted by at least one of their enemies. The sniper. The person who should have captured Relena. But Zechs said Relena would be taken to an undisclosed location. They weren't amateurs. Noin and Zechs would know how to handle the situation. Noin's bike would be hidden, most likely left somewhere far from the hideout. If he remembered that Noin had taken care of Relena during the war...

Of course, Relena hadn't had any hits on her at the time.

Ah. Okay. Now he was getting worried.

They went through the follow-up that always proceeded the bust, bringing the captives in – for Lola, it was to the hospital with a constant watch – and to the paperwork, which both balked at, only doing the bare minimum. Relena could still be in danger. Lola was in surgery, getting her bullets taken out, and Mr. Mohawk didn't have much insight. All he knew was that the 'hot chick' had promised him a good sight. So why drag him in? Why hadn't his presence been caught by the scouts? Apparently he'd followed her fifteen minutes later, as told.

What was the point of dragging in an idiot with such a discernible haircut? She didn't use him as her boyfriend. She hardly seemed to use him at all. Was it some sort of signal to others? Duo certainly couldn't think of any other reason.

But if not, they might yet be able to round up the rest of the baddies without too much incident. That would be... great.

Duo was sent down to Po, more for precaution than anything else. Heero had already gone up to speak with Une, most likely about Relena's safety. Duo had bowed out, unwilling to listen to Heero worry over his... family. He still needed a little more time before he could accept it all with cheer.

So he sat on Po's table, telling her about how he'd felt strange with the gun, how he'd begun running naturally. He didn't bother talking about his jester's mask, simply saying that he was starting to feel things click into place. She wrote on her stupid little clipboard and nodded every once in a while.

If Duo really stopped to think about it, he  _ _was__  happy for Heero. He knew that, watching Sally tap her pen against her lips, Heero's happiness was enough for him to keep going. The whole idea of being happy for another's happiness was a bunch of crap, but Duo really didn't need Heero's love. He was fine without that. Heero wasn't the type to open up to just anyone – what Duo had was rare enough. And if he'd ever considered being unhappy with the relationship he had, turning dog would have cured that disease.

That said, he was still just the tiniest bit bitter. Not against Heero, per se. Sally put the damn clipboard down finally, and he watched her do so. It wasn't Heero he was upset with. It was more... the world. Or maybe his luck. Or life in general. Something like that.

"Well, so far everything you've told me has been good," Sally said, stopping in front of him. "I would prefer it if you rested whenever you could, though. Not just for your mind. Your body is still recovering, both from the shock of switching back and forth between species and the more obvious injuries." She took the chance to look over Duo's wounds, forcing him to lift up his pant leg for her to inspect his half-cast. "I'm rather amazed you ran with this – yes, yes, I know," she said, waving his mouth closed. "You've run with worse."

Duo grinned. "You're learning."

She swatted his leg, careful of the cast. "Watch it."

Heero came in then, almost slamming the door open. Duo turned to him with wide eyes. "You found it unnecessary to inform me of your visit to Dr. Po?"

"Still here," she said, speaking up before she stood from her crouch. "Let me see your arm." Duo sighed and complied.

"I'm your partner. You didn't think this important enough?"

Duo just shrugged. "You were talking with Une about Relena. I figured this was just less important than that."

"You were wrong."

Duo blinked.

"According to Lola, her men have already been stationed to release the drug into the waters, but Zechs is betting on that being a bluff. She really wants Relena. Believes her naïvete will be the death of the World Nation."

"She's matured," Duo said, complying to Po's touch on his cheek, turning his head for her to inspect the burn on his cheek. "I haven't been around her all that much, but she definitely seems to have gotten her head on straight. Her brothers' influence?" Heero blushed, and Duo was glad he'd kept the catch from his voice. "So what's going with her? Any other information?"

"No. She was more than willing to tell us about her involvement in Turris, though. I can't imagine it's all over, though it seems to be."

"Too easy," Duo said, rolling his shoulders. "We caught her too easily. And that guy with the mohawk worries me."

"For all we know," Heero said, "the water has already been tainted."

"That stuff doesn't feel bad at first." Duo looked down at his hand. "At first, I thought I was just tired, then that I'd gotten a cold. I hadn't recognized it as poison. Someone wouldn't be able to do something in time. They would just suddenly fins themselves... dogs."

"You seem always a step behind," Sally said. "Isn't that a little too convenient?"

Duo frowned. It was true. They always seemed to be catching someone just after there was any point in it. Kelas. Lola. And the enemy had almost gotten them several times. Whenever they arrived somewhere, an enemy was waiting for them. Last time they'd gone to Relena's estate, they'd gotten in trouble. Before that, somehow someone had known that Duo and Heero had fought, resulting in Duo getting bloodied. Someone close to them? Duo's mind immediately flickered to Zechs, but he shook his head, dismissing the thought. Zechs was Heero's... brother. He was trusted by Duo's partner. That would be enough for him.

But then who?

Duo stood then, hissing. "Jesus," he said, and turned to Heero. His eyes were narrowed, too, but he seemed... hesitant. Because this person was close to someone close to him. Heero was close to the perpetrator by acquaintance. Duo didn't want to bring him on the bust. But they worked in partners, and Heero would never allow him to head off on this alone. Not just because he was recovering, but because Relena's life was at stake.

So Heero called Une while Duo dialed up their weary friends, telling them they thought they knew who the perp was.

"The mohawk guy just talked," Wufei said when Duo called. "He was to stall us until one o'clock. It's one oh two now."

Duo cursed again. "So it's verified."

"Yes. Noin planned all of this, down to this very moment."

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit! Get down here. We're heading out."

"Just go. We'll meet up with you."

"Right." Duo ended the call and turned to Heero. Somehow they'd already power-walked the way to their lockers, where they'd just finished storing their vests moments ago. Already back in the damn place was depressing, but Duo slipped the thing on, strapped it tight, and double-checked his gun. He had to replace the bullets he'd used, but then he was ready to go.

"Ready?"

Duo nodded. "Yeah."

They took the standard Preventors issue car only because they had to. They didn't have a warrant, but since the building was owned by Zechs, one call to him would solve that problem. Heero was already punching in Zechs' number. Duo watched him as he started the car and headed out, his hands easy on the wheel, his eyes focused outside the windshield. He seemed almost like moving marble, if ever marble was painted with such stunning colors as the deep brown of Heero's hair and the dark peach of his skin. Duo had to look away to keep his mind on track.

Great. The Perfect Soldier was once more out to play.

Heero tossed Duo the phone. Wordlessly Duo ended the call. "Zechs says Noin will be in a fake apartment building, one that seems to still be under construction. Inside, there are enough serviceable rooms to make a living space. There's also a basement."

"How far?" Duo asked, his voice quiet.

Heero didn't look at him, just over his shoulder and into his rearview mirror. "About fifteen minutes."

"Ten if you hurry?"

"Fifteen if I hurry."

Ah. Duo looked out his window and cleared his throat. It was stupid to feel the tight pull in his chest. Heero had worried about Duo, too. He'd driven himself to find a way to save Duo, too. It wasn't like Relena was the only one. So the reason he felt this way was because he knew Relena was Heero's family. They had a tangible connection.

Or... maybe not. Maybe it was because he knew Relena would be able to jump into Heero's arms, to feel him wrap those arms around her and hold her close. Because she  _ _was__  closer than Duo could be. Because they  _ _did__  have something that Duo couldn't share. Because even though he felt content with his role as Heero's friend and partner, he still loved Heero.

He looked down at his gun and played with the safety, switching it on and off and cleared his throat again. He really had to stop thinking like this.

The drive seemed to take forever. Duo didn't bother trying to turn the radio on; it may have helped him, but he knew it would distract Heero from his Perfect Soldier mode, and maybe Heero would need it. Duo could work without his music. Heero might falter if he lost his soldier mask.

The building, when Duo saw it from still another block away, looked almost like a duplicate of the building he'd led Wufei, Trowa, and Quatre to when he'd been a dog. The one the sniper had hidden in. Had the mohawk man been the sniper? It couldn't have been Noin. Not unless she managed to arrive at the house just a few short seconds after they were shot at. A physical impossibility, even for Heero. Then who? Hell, why?

Heero stopped before they reached the next block, keeping behind a building. Just because she couldn't have been the sniper the second time didn't mean she couldn't be the sniper the first time. She might have been the one Duo had led the others to. She might have been... but why? The woman had completely believed in Relena. So... had something changed in the past years?

He wished he'd paid more attention to that side of his acquaintance list.

Duo and Heero both popped out of the car and slid around a different apartment building. Heero slid onto the brick surface, turning and looking at the building Noin was in. The paint was gray. Duo wondered if the other had been gray, too. It had seemed gray, but a lot of things had been gray then. "Me front, you back," Heero said. The usual.

"Don't you think she's ready for that?"

"Yes. So she won't expect it."

"What if she expects that we expect that she'll–"

"Enough, Duo. Just do it."

"Enough, Duo, just do it," Duo said, mocking Heero as he hopped off to do as told. He felt Heero's eyes on his back as he pulled himself from the shadow of the building. The expanse from the one apartment building to the other was filled with trees and grass, but no more buildings. The Preventor car meant they needed to show it off. The potential danger to Relena meant they had to hurry. The potential danger to them was enough to make Heero choose a place to safely remove themselves from the car, but not much else. Duo understood it all. He rushed to the nearest tree and plastered his back to it, peeking a look over his shoulder. He understood their need to hurry. Heero was probably going mad with fear. Duo understood that.

So he let his gaze roam over and around him before slipping deep into his usual run and booking it across the open grass, slipping into every shadow he could along the way. He knew Heero was somewhere behind him doing the same.

For now, questions would just have to wait. No matter why Noin was holding Relena or what the hell she was planning with all of this, Relena was in danger. And hell if Duo was going to let anything happen to her.

And dammit, he couldn't believe he'd let himself think the word 'love.'


	13. A Good Dog Never Gets A Good Bone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They find Relena.

Noin had connections – she was Zechs' girlfriend, Relena's confidante. If anyone had military skills to elude them and knowledge of the inner workings of the Peacecrafts, it was either her or Zechs, and Zechs was Heero's brother. That left just her.

Duo got to the back door of the apartment building just as it opened. He ducked and twisted, barely seeing the gun before he moved, turning around the corner. Someone shot once, then cursed. It didn't sound like Noin. Wasn't she supposed to be alone? So they'd been right. She really was the one who'd done all this. But why? What did she have to gain?

"Duo?"

Duo cocked his head at the sound of Heero's voice through the communication link. "It isn't her. Keep going."

"The windows and front door are rigged," Duo's attacker shouted. The person was female, but it definitely wasn't Noin. The voice was a bit too chirpy for her. "Only this door is safe."

Yeah, safe. Except for the whole person-with-a-gun thing. Duo grinned. This he could work with. He traded bullets with the person for a minute, buying time as he ripped off his half-cast and tossed it to his side, careful not to tip off his enemy by tossing it where they could see it. He tested the joint and winced. He doubted he'd do the leg any permanent damage, but he should be careful, nonetheless. He cataloged the injury into his mind and slipped on Shinigami's smile.

The apartment building was pretty standard; there was a little fire escape that had seen better days. It'd probably already met Noin and had a little breakdown because of it. The ladder was gone, the metal charred and twisted into itself; there was no stable footing – hardly any footing left at all. Duo backed away from the wall, popping off a wild shot just to keep whoever was at the back jumping, before planting his feet into the pavement and running up the wall. With one hand he grabbed the metal. It bit into his palm, creaked and bent slightly, but he was already swinging on it and running against the wall again, pulling the broken ladder until he felt the metal give and snap, and with one last twist he was in freefall at the corner of the building. The person at the door had heard his pounding footsteps, but apparently they'd missed the 'react first, think later' law of battles. Duo flew above the woman's line of sight and aimed down before she half understood what was happening. She was shot in the shoulder before he landed, and as he rolled up, she cried out and fell. Duo stumbled up and shot at her again, hitting away her gun, and then he was running up to her and slamming the butt of his gun on her temple.

He pulled himself up straight and winced. Okay. He hadn't been careful of his injured leg there at all. Oh, well.

"I'm in the back," Duo said, keeping his voice low as he entered the building.

"All right. I'll search for a separate entrance for another minute before joining you."

Duo looked around, searching the hollows of the apartment building for a hiding spot. The lights were all off. He recognized what looked to be the trash room. He was in the trash room. There were a number of dumpsters, all helping to encase the room in shadows. He held his gun in front of him. "Copy that." And Duo checked each dumpster, his body tense in preparation of assault. But no one attacked him. He heard no movement. He moved on to the next room. It looked like a sort of mail room, one that was joined to the front lobby. It was a nice apartment complex.

There was a room for someone to sort the mail, but no one was in there. Duo ducked below the mailboxes carved into the wall, but no one had hidden anything in there. There were no traps. There was nothing. Alarm bells rang like sirens in his head.

The stairs came then, leading to the second floor, apparently the first floor of apartments. Duo saw an elevator beside the door leading to the stairs and went to it first, pressing the button to go up. Then he plastered his back to the wall and waited. He could hear the car approaching, and with a soft ding, the door opened. He waited for a beat before ducking and turning to face the car. Empty. The light in the elevator was on, but there was no one. Duo checked the hole between the floor and the elevator before going in the elevator and popping open the hole at the top. Still no one. Those alarm bells were getting very, very loud.

Duo too off his shirt and caught it inside the elevator doors, sticking them open. As long as they didn't close, the elevator wouldn't move. If someone wanted down, they would have to spelunk their way down. Then he left the elevator and burst through the stairs door, pointing his gun up the stairs. Nothing. There was still nothing. His brows furrowed. Was Noin waiting for him on one of the upper floors? Where? Why? She should know, as he did, that there was no easy exit now. She was above. She had to win now. There was nowhere to run.

Then again, she was the one with the hostage. Not him.

"I'm coming in," Heero said, speaking once more over the communication link.

"Okay. I'm heading up to the second floor." And Duo stepped onto the first step. There was still nothing. He couldn't hear a sound save the wind against the building. It seemed to be getting louder. Picking up. Rain? He hadn't seen signs of it.

The walls were white, the stairwell a light oak color. Duo stepped up again and heard a slight creaking of the floorboards beneath his feet. He went a little faster then. There was no point in sneaking up the only flight of steps, after all, and it was clear that Noin wasn't waiting for him in the enclosed space. So he reached the second level and stilled before opening the door. He strained his ears. He wished, for a moment, that he had his doggy hearing, or perhaps his doggy height, where people would shoot above him, not knowing he was too short for most of those bullets. But he planted himself beside the stairs and reached out for the doorknob. With one quick twist, he pulled the door open and snatched his hand back. Nothing. Duo's brow furrowed. Still? The alarm bells went silent then. It was too dangerous to be swinging the bells. Too dangerous to hear nothing but the silence and every little sound. He could hear, down below, the sound of the door opening. "Duo," he heard through the link, "I'm coming up."

Duo considered waiting for him, but he could hear in Heero's voice something that was similar to panic. "Take the second floor," Duo said finally. "I'm going up."

"Understood."

He hesitated. It would be his luck to have someone waiting for him to step out into the door's line of sight to fire. He twisted in front of the door, gun held at the ready. Nothing. He was in the clear. His brows furrowed. Was there no one on the second floor? But they couldn't take that chance and have both move up. It would be best to have Duo go up, too. He was... less emotional. For once.

So he left the second floor to Heero and went up the stairs again, pausing once more beside the door and looking down in time to see Heero entering the second floor. Then he reached out, grabbed the knob, and opened the door once more. Still nothing. His heart was beating fast, pumping the adrenaline fast enough to make it burn. This was the last floor. There was nothing higher.

He jumped out in front of the door, but the hall was all that he could see. White walls, white ceiling, wood trim. Ceiling lights shed light. The lights were on up here, unlike the other two floors. He grinned. "You giving me an invitation, Noin?" He stepped through, looking at both sides of the other side of the door before making his way into the hall. Four doors awaited him, two on his left, two on his right. Each was probably an apartment. Which meant Noin could be hiding anywhere. "Heero. I don't think you'll be finding anything down there."

"Found a trap. I'm disabling it."

Great. That meant I wouldn't have back-up for a while. Where were Quatre and the others? "Got it. I'll start the search up here."

Duo looked under the doors, but none of the lights were on in any of the apartments, at least not that he could see. Relena had to be in one of these. So did Noin. He needed to get rid of the threat, but if Relena was in some sort of danger, she took precedence.

He tried the first door on his right, trusting instinct to guide him where reason couldn't. The door was locked, but that was unsurprising. He stopped for a moment, but Noin wouldn't leave any of the doors unlocked. It was an immediate tip-off to your enemy's whereabouts. With the chance of surprise gone, there was no point in not making noise. "Noin! What the hell are you doing?"

But there was no answer. He'd hardly expected one. Noin was too smart to fall for something like that.

He shot the lock on the door and busted through it. The apartment was indeed dark, with its own variety of shadows. He could tell it opened up to a small foyer, which branched two directions, one right and one straight ahead. He searched what he could see first, then went through the kitchen. It was one long, thin place, with small prep space and sterling silver appliances. It opened up in the far end, leading to the washer and dryer. The place was clean. He backed up and went the other way, through the foyer to the dining room-living room mix. The table, small and round, sat on a piece of wooden flooring in front of the couch, which rested on the carpet behind it. That room was clean. On the right was the door leading to the bedroom, closed. Duo approached it from the side. Would it really be so easy? Or was it a trap? Heero said he found one downstairs. Why had he not found one here, where Noin obviously lay in wait?

He took a spare minute to search the crevices of the door, the walls around it. Nothing. No trap. But that didn't mean there wasn't one on the other side, waiting for him. More poison? Or maybe it was something to incapacitate him. If he was taken out, then Heero would face Noin alone. And though he was trying his damnedest to remain calm, Duo knew he was anything but. And that meant Heero could easily be hurt.

Duo tested the door, once again huddling against the side. It was locked, too. He cursed low in his throat. He couldn't keep shooting all of the doors; he would run out of bullets. And if he shot through, he might hit Relena if she was on the other side. But if he kicked it open, any trap would immediately be set off. And if any were aimed at Relena... well. He was screwed either way.

"Fuck." And he stood before the door and kicked it. It cracked, but held. With another curse, he kicked again. This time, the door fell.

She  _was_  there.

Relena looked at him with eyes wide and bloodshot, her mouth taped shut. She was taped to the bed, left to lie on the floor with her legs curled underneath her. Her hands were behind her, probably taped up, as well. Her hair was a mess. "Hey," Duo said. "I'll get to you in a minute, all right? I need to check the room. Are you hurt?"

She shook her head.

"All right. That's a good thing, at least." He searched the room, the ceiling, the floor, the closet. Nothing. No traps. No Noin. What the hell?

Duo looked behind him, half expecting Noin to come busting in. Relena moved behind him, seeming to struggle against her bonds. "Hold on," he said, and jumped out of the room, gun before him. Still nothing.

"I'm done taking down all the traps. I'm coming up."

"Gotcha. I'm with Relena. She's unharmed."

Even over the communication link, Duo heard Heero's sigh. "Thank goodness."

"Noin isn't here with her. She may be in the other rooms."

"I'll find her. Stay with Relena."

"Can do." And Duo turned back to Relena. Her eyes were still wide, her shoulders twisting as she tried to get free. "Calm down. Heero's here. He's taking care of Noin. I'm sure that he won't kill her, since it would upset you." He bent down, looking over her. He couldn't see any wires on her. "Here." And he ripped off the tape over her mouth.

"Ow!" Her lips were chapped, her skin reddening around her mouth. "Duo! Are you all right?"

Duo frowned. "Yeah." He knelt down and started peeling back the tape around her waist. "Why – ah!"

Duo fell against the leg of the bed, one hand clenching around the wooden post, the other clutching his leg. He looked to the window, where a hole now sat, the glass cracking to the panes. He turned to the door, his gun up, but already Noin was there, shooting his weapon from his hand.

"Duo!" Heero shouted over the link.

"Oh, God, Duo, I'm sorry! I thought... I thought she was bluffing!" Relena looked at Noin. "What do you think you're doing, Noin?"

"It looks like the poison really didn't have any use, despite all the time I put into it." She came into the room, her gun pointed at Duo's head. "I was almost afraid you would find it, despite all of my precautions."

Duo snarled. He had checked the room up and down – save the tape behind Relena. There'd been nothing on the floor, the walls, the ceiling. But Noin had been here for some time. He'd been careless. And somehow she'd wired something to trigger once he pulled off the tape, and now he had what looked like the needle part of a medical syringe had been shot into his calf. He clutched it, trying to slow the blood flow, and planted himself squarely in front of Relena.

"Duo, I'm coming."

Duo heard Heero's words. He needed to buy time. "What the fuck, Noin? I thought you were Relena's guardian."

But Noin didn't seem willing to speak with him. She looked over his shoulder, obviously trying to see Relena. He shuffled until it was impossible for Noin to see her. "You thought it was a bluff, Relena? How naïve."

Duo pushed up with his hands and kicked out with his punctured leg. Noin pulled her arm back before Duo could kick her gun away, but the gun was no longer aiming at him, and he wrenched himself up with his arms and his other injured leg, just barely keeping his balance. By the time he was able to move, Noin was aiming her gun once more. Duo grabbed for her hand.

"I'm almost there, Duo!"

Noin whirled away from him, and he stumbled on his bad legs. She aimed for Relena. On a curse, he wrenched an arm and hit her wrist. The bullet slammed into the floor. Noin elbowed him in the face, and when he tried to catch himself, his knee buckled and he fell. Duo tried to lean up, but Noin already had her gun aimed at his head.

He didn't even have time to blink before she pulled the trigger.

* * *

"Duo! Oh my God, Noin, what have you done?"

"This is what happens in battle. Or did you forget?"

Sound dimmed, but not before he heard an inhuman scream.

* * *

Beep.

Beep.

It was like floating in a gray world. He could understand a few things. Memories, he guessed. Noin. Relena. The wired trap set in Relena's bonds, most likely hidden under the floorboards, in the walls. Hadn't he gotten shot? In the head?

He was oddly comfortable in the gray world. It reminded him of his four-legged days. It seemed unnaturally quiet, though. Just that beeping. A hospital. Would he have survived the bullet to his brain? Was that something he wanted? People might survive a bullet to the head, but there was usually damage. How couldn't there be? Would a part of him be lost? Would his  _hair_  be lost?

If he could move in this plastic gray world, he would laugh. He was worried about his hair and Relena could be dead. And where would that leave Heero? Without his sister. Alone, possibly at a funeral staring down at a grave without his best friend beside him.

Whatever this weird gray world was, he needed to get out of it. Now.

And with that he woke up.

He recognized the hospital room, an exact replica of the one he'd been in just a day or so earlier. Well, maybe longer. Depending on how long he'd been out. He first saw the IV, hanging like a deflated balloon to his side. He felt like he was a pincushion, there were so many wires playing around him. He recognized the sound of the heart monitor, testimony to his still-beating heart. He saw himself stretched out under a sheet, felt his headrest lifted up about six inches. He was in a hospital robe, his ass and back hanging unclothed. He could feel something wrapped around both of his legs, though each felt different. He went through his knowledge of his injuries and guessed one leg had gauze and the other an ACE bandage. He could feel a huge wad of padding against the side of his head, too. He sighed.

"Duo?"

He turned to his left. Heero was sitting in a chair beside him, his shoulders and neck slumped. He blinked up at Heero like a sloth. "Heero?"

"You're up." Heero stood, stretching his spine before touching the metal bars by Duo's side. "How do you feel?"

Duo frowned. "Didn't I get shot in the head?"

Heero sucked in a breath. "Yes. But the bullet was rubber. It... caused a lot of damage, but it didn't pierce your skull."

Duo blinked. Well, that was good, at least. "Relena?"

"She's all right. She's with Zechs. How are you, Duo?" And Heero leaned over to press the call button for the nurse. Heero read Duo's monitor.

Thank goodness Relena was okay. "I don't really feel anything. How much morphine did they give me?"

"Two milligrams every eight hours, but you've been on the morphine for over a day now." Heero looked back at Duo and caught the surprise in his eyes. "You wouldn't wake up. The doctor said you needed time."

"Sorry about that." Duo closed his eyes. "I don't understand," he said finally, opening his eyes and looking at the ceiling. "Why rubber? What the hell was the woman doing?"

"It seems Relena has been speaking with the leaders of violent groups. Ones like Turris." A nurse came in, smiling and carrying what looked to be a miniature suitcase. Heero stepped away and sat back down, cutting his explanation short.

"Hello, Mr. Maxwell," the nurse said. Duo mustered up a half-hearted glare, but there was no energy in it. He hated being called 'mister.' "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got shot in the head." He watched her as she reached behind his headrest and grabbed the blood pressure thing. He let her take it the old-fashioned way and just suffered through it. Heero watched the woman like a hawk. "So? Am I well enough to get out of here?"

"Not quite yet," she said, though she read his blood pressure and nodded. "Good. You're in the accepted range. I'm going to take a blood sample, just to see if you have an infection. All right?"

Duo nodded and waved her off. "Sure. The faster you do that, the faster I can get out."

So she swabbed his arm and stole his blood and packed it all up with the promise to be back in half an hour. Duo didn't believe it for a minute. But she finally took off and Heero stood back up, moving once more to Duo's side. "She's been reckless in her proceedings, saying that armaments should not be present when speaking to the other ambassadors."

Duo read the frown on Heero's face and cleared his throat. It was stupid to be upset that even now, Heero concerned himself with Relena. It wasn't that Heero didn't care about him, or else Heero wouldn't be by his side, right next to him as he awoke once more in a hospital room. Relena, his sister, was doing something downright stupid. Of course Heero would worry. He shifted. "But I don't understand how that has anything to do with Noin."

Heero sighed and leaned his head back. "She took it upon herself to show Relena the dangers of men. Or at least that's what she told me while they were..." He stopped talking for a moment and blinked his eyes a few times. "While Quatre and Wufei got you into the ambulance."

"What?" Duo put a hand to his head. "Hold on. When did Quatre and Wufei get there?"

"They apparently arrived while we were up on the third floor." The curtain rustled then, and both Duo and Heero turned to the sound. Trowa pushed back the curtain and stood aside as Quatre rushed into the room. Wufei came in much more sedately behind him.

"Duo! You're awake!" And Quatre came to Duo's side, hunching next to Heero and leaning over the bed. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got shot in the head," he said, reiterating the line, but Quatre seemed even less amused with the remark than the nurse.

"Maxwell, that's probably because you  _were_  shot in the head."

"Thanks, Wufei. I hadn't realized that." Duo shot the man a dark glare before turning to Quatre. "You showed up?"

Quatre just blinked at him for a minute. Trowa was the one to step forward and answer. "Yes. They went up while I took the woman unconscious just inside the building into custody. I found out what had happened to you after I'd gotten her to the hospital and set up her guard. If I'd have known you were injured, I would have taken you with me."

Duo waved it off. "I don't care about that. Heero said..." He looked at Heero. "What did Noin do?"

"She proved a point," Quatre said, his lips thin. "Being a pacifist is fine, but being naïve isn't. That's what she was trying to tell Relena."

Duo closed his eyes and just said to hell with it. "By poisoning us?"

Quatre reached forward to touch Duo's forehead. He opened his eyes and glared blearily at the blond. "She says she knew there was something wrong with it – that it wouldn't kill us. She just didn't tell her lackeys."

"Or maybe she failed royally."

"In any case," Quatre said, finally leaning back and letting his hand drop, "that's what she says. And she didn't kill you."

Heero flinched.

Duo looked at him. "Are you okay?" Heero nodded, but his gaze dropped down to Duo's bed. Duo tried to catch his eye, but Heero just looked away.

"The two of you need to talk," Quatre said then, his voice quiet. He turned to Wufei and Trowa and sent the military signal to move out. Trowa did so with nothing more than a nod, but Wufei rolled his eyes.

"This is ridiculous. Maxwell, Noin is in custody, Relena is with her brother, and you have been somehow spared despite having been shot in the head." Heero flinched again. Duo watched him, but Heero still wouldn't look up. "What else is there to discuss?"

"The why, maybe? The how? When?" Duo groaned. "I am so confused."

"Let's go, Wufei. Duo needs his rest. We can explain it all later." And Quatre grabbed Wufei's arm and pulled him out of the room. Wufei huffed. Duo watched the spectacle with a little trepidation.

"I'm sorry."

The words made Duo whip his head back to Heero, and a small, short pound warned him not to repeat the maneuver. "Heero?"

Heero shook his head. "You said – you'd  _told_  me that you weren't ready to be on the field, but I still let you ahead of me." Heero grabbed the railing and hung his head. "I wasn't thinking."

Duo let his breath out slowly. So Heero was looking back at his earlier fear. "You trusted me to be your partner, Heero. That's what happens in battle. You should know that better than anyone."

But Heero just shook his head again. "Not to you." Heero was quiet for a moment, and Duo was at a loss as to what to say. 'It's okay' wouldn't work, because things weren't perfectly okay. 'You were upset' would only upset him more. "I'm... sorry. You said you would rely on me to have your back."

Oh, crap. "Yeah, but I–"

"This isn't what you need to be hearing right now." And just like that, Heero straightened up and changed the topic. "You need to rest. I'll wake you when the nurse arrives."

Duo blinked. "You can't be serious, Heero. You can't just throw something like that out–"

"I'm going to get something to drink." And the man actually turned around and walked out. The curtain flapped behind him.

Was Heero serious? Maybe he shouldn't have ever said those words, but he'd been working almost on autopilot. He just hadn't wanted Heero to see how hurt he was. How... upset. It was strange, though, how his feelings were starting to change. Yes, he was still bitter about being the only one family-less, but now he felt almost annoyed. Now he thought he should have been told earlier. But why? Was it normal for best friends to tell each other such things? Neither he nor Heero had any real experience with friendships. They told each other what was pertinent. They hung out at the gym, at a restaurant. They stayed at one another's houses. They spoke to each other about problems. Was there more to friendships than all that? Was there an obligation to tell one another about things in their lives that changed? He'd never considered it, so Heero probably hadn't either. But he couldn't deny that he felt a bit betrayed because of that, too. Maybe there was something they'd missed. There should be books on how to be friends. A how-to guide. For dummies.

Somehow the thought made him sleepy, and he found his eyelids dropping without his permission. Heero walked in then, a water in one hand. He leaned against the far wall. Duo scowled at him. "You. I expect my friend to not be wallowing when I wake up."

Heero stilled.

"I mean it," Duo continued, hearing his words garble slightly. "And I'll have you know that it wasn't you. It was me. I... I wasn't ready to protect again yet. I... got careless..." And he flipped Heero off before he finally let his eyes close. Sleep reared up over him quickly.

He thought he heard a strange, choked sound come from Heero's end of the room before he fell asleep.

* * *

Duo woke up to someone's quiet footsteps. He opened his eyes just as the nurse pushed back the curtain and came inside. "Hello again," she said. Her gaze flickered between Heero and him, noting the new distance, but she didn't say anything. Duo gave her a silent applause. "How are you? Still feeling well?"

"Yup." He looked over at Heero, too. He really had stayed in that far corner, placing a tangible distance on top of the emotional one. Duo stuck his tongue out at him. The nurse appreciated the act, at least.

"Well, your white blood cell count is good. There's no sign of infection yet. We would prefer to keep you for another day, but... yes, we thought you wouldn't like that." She held out her little clipboard on his stay and pointed to pieces of it. "So if you feel any of this – swelling, heat around the wounded area, a worsening of pain, please come in again, all right? You don't want to lose your leg. And you'll have to be taken home by a friend. I'm going to turn off the morphine, but you still aren't good to drive. Do you have available transportation?"

As if Duo didn't know what to do with an infection. Still, he just nodded. Compliance was key to an early escape. "No problem. And a yes to the pills, please." If for nothing else than just in case.

"And I'll take care of him."

"All right then. I need you to sign this, Mr. Maxwell. It says you know we would prefer to keep you here." She held out the clipboard and dug out a pen. Then she pulled out his clothes from... somewhere... and placed them on the bed. Duo could see the stains of blood all over his things and gave them up for lost.

"Could you get him scrubs?" Heero called from the other room. "That looks to be unsalvageable."

"I thought so, too," she said, and Duo shot Heero a look and signed his name before handing the clipboard back to her. "All right, I'll get you some scrubs and be right back." And she gathered up everything and left.

Duo gave Heero the fish eye. "You know, when I said I didn't want you wallowing, it didn't mean go iceberg on me."

Heero cocked his head and took one small step forward. The room was small enough that he almost came level with the bottom of the bed. "But I'm not wallowing." Duo stuck his tongue out again, and this time it garnered that half-smile of his. "How are you feeling, really?"

Duo shook his head. "Still hyped up on meds." Still, he pushed himself up until he was sitting up under his own power, then swung his legs off the bed. He'd been right about the bandages on his legs. "This is going to be a pain to deal with while I'm..." But he had to stop there. His eyes widened. "Oh, crap."

Heero nodded. "Your house is gone."

"Oh,  _shit_." Duo stopped his efforts to get up and just took that little piece of information in. That was right. His house was gone. Burned to the ground. To ash. He took a deep breath. It was good that he'd been a dog when he'd seen it, or else he might have had bad flashbacks from the Maxwell church. "Well, that slows things down. That means I have to get temporary housing. I wonder which hotel's cheapest."

"Don't be ridiculous, Duo. You'll be staying with me."

The nurse decided to come in then, saving Duo the need to respond to that. She had with her the scrubs he would be wearing out; he was surprised to see a bright, bold blue that actually didn't look half bad. She laid those down and turned. "The doctor's coming in just a minute for your prescription. Just take it in and get it filled. Your insurance looks like it should cover the cost."

Duo nodded, but his eyes were on Heero. "Anything else?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No. Ah, there she is."

The doctor came in with as big a professional smile as the nurse. "Duo Maxwell?"

What, did the woman think Heero could be the patient? Or maybe she just did her rounds and hardly remembered who was who. That seemed more likely. "Yeah."

"All right. I'm filling out a prescription for Percoset. Take one when you feel the pain, then one every four hours, not exceeding three a day. Okay?"

He would take however many he needed. "Gotcha." And he took the paper when she ripped it off her pad and handed it to him.

"Take care."

As if a Preventor could ever. "Will do."

She raised an eyebrow at that, and he grinned cheekily. She chuckled at it and rolled her eyes. "Just try to keep from needing us again for at least a week. How's that?"

"We'll see." She just shook her head and left, and the nurse wished them both well and headed out, too. Duo was back to being alone with Heero. He studied the floor below him. Why were hospital beds so high? Who had thought that was a good idea? But he sucked it up and balanced on the railing before sliding down to the floor. It was cold on his bare feet, and all of his injuries bit and stung and stretched uncomfortably as he put weight on his legs. He felt another twitch of pain. His morphine drip must have been running low. Great.

"Duo?"

Crap. He must have been taking too long. He eased more weight on his legs and levered himself up to stand. Another, stronger twitch of pain warned him that the pain meds might be a really good idea. "I'm fine."

Finally he stood straight. He tested it for a moment, raising his newly injured leg and setting it back down. It pulled at the wound, but it seemed all right. "How bad was it?"

"Two stitches," Heero said. "It pierced through, but it didn't hit and major arteries."

Duo made a noise to let Heero know he'd heard him before resting his foot on the ground. He grabbed his newly acquired scrubs and held the shirt as he untied the back of the hospital gown. His bare ass was already telling him that it was slightly cold in the hospital, so he was ready for the rush of air hitting him as he became naked. He tried not to think about Heero beside him, but he ended up glancing over, anyway. He was surprised to see Heero looking away, his arms crossed in front of him. He looked almost... uncomfortable. Duo pulled on the shirt he held and held the pants. He did his worst leg first, then used the bed to help himself in on the other side. He took a breather, sagging against the bed slightly, and looked to the wall, away from Heero. "You know you don't have to do this."

Heero was only silent for a moment before he decoded what Duo was saying. "We're friends."

Duo swallowed back the wince. It was true. They were friends. It was what a friend would do. Right? "Yeah. That's why you don't have to do this. I'm going to have to wait until they rebuild the place. It could take weeks."

"Months," Heero said.

Duo grimaced. "That's even worse."

Heero stepped forward then, finally placing a hand on Duo's shoulder. "I would prefer it if you stayed with me."

Well, shit. How could he argue against that? "All right, all right." Well, that was taken care of, at least, but he didn't have anything left to help him out, either. "I'm going to have to pull out some money from my savings for this shit. I need clothes."

"I took care of that." Duo's jaw dropped. He looked over to Heero with wide eyes. "You were getting stitches. I had Quatre stay with you while I went out and bought you necessities – clothes, hygiene products. I even bought a brush." And he smiled.

"Heero..." He'd been wrong to judge Heero so harshly over his adoption. It wasn't something he'd needed to know. It wasn't something that affected our friendship. "Thanks, man," he said then, trying to dispel the seriousness he'd created himself. "I'll pay you back."

"No need. I'm not the one saving up for an animal." And just like that, Heero shrugged it all off. "Are you ready to go? Should I get a wheelchair?"

"If you do, I will hurt you." Duo limped forward, grabbing the curtain and wrenching it back. The move garnered a few stares from personnel, but he just couldn't care at that point. Heero came up behind him and steered him toward the exit. Duo hobbled like a broken toy past the nurses, but they eventually made it to the waiting area. Quatre popped up from his seat, but one look at the two of them and the smile forming on his face faltered a bit. The blond almost looked angry then.

"If the two of you are  _quite_  finished," Wufei said, pulling himself up from his own seat, "I suggest we each get ourselves to our respective duties. Yuy, you have received the day off." Heero nodded as if he'd expected that. Duo supposed it made sense. The man didn't have his usual partner, after all, and most of the less experienced agents preferred not to work with him. "As for myself and Barton, we must return to work. Winner has his own responsibilities."

"Thanks for coming, guys." Duo smiled for them, but they'd seen him limping in. He doubted they were fooled by the 'all better' grin.

Trowa came up and patted him on the head. "Have fun at Heero's."

Duo blushed as Wufei chuckled somewhat evilly. Had they all been told?

Quatre seemed to be considering something, because he nodded and smiled again. "I'm sure the two of you will do fine, but if you need me, let me know."

"Thanks, Qat," Duo said, but he caught Heero half-glaring at the blond. What the hell was going on? "I'll let you guys know if I need something." Quatre turned from Heero to Duo and raised an eyebrow. "I said 'need,' not 'want.'"

"Just make sure that you do," Trowa said, and then they were all saying good-bye to one another and heading off. The other people in the waiting room watched them as they all broke off from each other. Duo guessed there wasn't much interesting going on there. At least Duo and his friends had managed to break up the monotonous thoughts of what could be happening to the other people's loved ones. One man looked like he was ready to fall asleep where he sat. Duo wondered how much sleep he'd gotten.

He was surprised to walk out of the building and see that it was nighttime, with every night in the city turned on. He looked around, suddenly feeling lost. "What time is it?"

"It's just past four-thirty in the morning. Wufei and Trowa have an early bust, so they cheated their way in here before going to work." Heero turned the two of them to the left, and Duo could see Heero's car in the distance. Duo's feet were cold; he'd forgotten to ask for slippers, since he was going to walk. Like hell he was going back in and asking for them. "Quatre came with them before getting ready to go into the office."

Duo hummed and yawned. "Shit, the morphine's keeping me tired."

Heero looked over to him, then away. "We'll be in the car soon. You can take a nap there."

Duo glared over at Heero. "Iceberg."

He actually got to watch Heero's breathy laugh. He couldn't really hear it, not well; the street had a couple of cars moving past, and the city was just never quiet enough, but he saw Heero's half-smile and watched his lips part slightly. Duo stared. "Let's just get to the car," Heero said, and it was obvious the man was blowing past his own laugh. Duo didn't know if he should pretend he hadn't heard it or call Heero out. He decided on the former; it was more than he'd ever thought to hear, and it meant Heero was making strides. He would wait for a while and watch.

They got to the car just as Duo's feet started protesting the poor treatment, and when he hopped inside and buckled his seatbelt, all he had to do was pull back the seat a bit and he was out once more.


	14. Even the Dog Gets Bread By Wagging Its Tail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duo laughs in the face of injuries.

Heero had already set up the guest room for him, complete with new sheets and a little dresser that held his new clothes. On top of said dresser were his new accoutrements, a hairbrush and toothbrush and toothpaste – wow, Heero even knew which toothpaste brand he preferred – and deodorant and shampoo and conditioner. He swore he would find out how much Heero had paid for it all and pay him back.

Heero went to the other side of the hall and entered his own room. Duo turned just as the door closed behind Heero and felt something inside him shut, too. Friends. A bane and a blessing both.

His legs were both hurting from the short walk into the building. He clenched his teeth against it; it would only get worse the more the morphine wore off. He went over and looked through the drawers. Heero, apparently, had mastered the art of organizing a dresser drawer. Socks and underwear were in one, with socks on one side and underwear on the other. Duo chuckled; Heero had guessed the right size, but he'd gotten briefs while Duo preferred boxers. Had the man never watched him undress in the locker room? Because Duo had looked his heart out with Heero. But they each had different motives. The second drawer had shirts, the third pants. The last had a couple of Preventors uniforms. They were both Heero's, but they would get him in the door.

Heero had thought of everything.

Duo thought to go back to Heero and thank him, but he figured Heero's room was to be his private sanctuary, so he just sat on the bed and looked around. Heero's house was pretty familiar, but he'd never gone to the second floor where the bedrooms were. The furthest he'd gone was to the bathroom, but he'd used the one on the bottom floor. He'd never really had need to go upstairs. Thinking about it, he could say that he'd first come upstairs as a dog. It just didn't seem like a place for guests to go.

The room was nice, of course. Heero handled his house like boot camp. Duo couldn't see a sign of his doggy self here – not even any fur. Heero was a stickler for clean. But there was more to the room than that. Heero had the bed against the wall with the door, facing the large window on the opposite side. The dresser sat next to a coffee table, both on the left of the room, with the closet, door closed, on the other. The table had a small pot of flowers, weird white ones with big, blocky petals. Edelweiss. Heero said he actually liked them. Duo could see why, sort've. It was the flower that didn't care what it looked like. Beside those flowers were little statuettes of soldiers. And there in the middle of all that was a picture of the five of them,taken for a newspaper at the end of the war, right before they'd all gone their separate ways... and eventually congregated back together, anyway.

Duo cocked his head. Heero never really made this sort of thing without some sort of weird meaning. But hell if he could figure it out, and he shrugged and lay back in the bed. His head wanted to pound, but it didn't quite manage the reflex. He blinked stupidly up at the ceiling for a while. White ceiling. Beige walls. Hardwood flooring. It didn't quite look like his house, but it was still comforting. It was definitely Heero's style.

He found himself almost nodding off, even with his nap in the car. His body just wanted to rest and recover, but there were too many questions unanswered. Heero had been telling him about Noin, about what had happened with her, but he was interrupted and then he got... he changed. Which of course brought up even more questions. He was reminded of the times Heero had broken down when he'd been a dog. All these times. He didn't quite know what to think of it. Should he ignore it? Should he address it? Heero wasn't used to emotions. Maybe he was dealing?

And Relena. Was she okay? He'd failed to protect her. He didn't know if she'd received injury, rubber bullets or no.

Heero exited his room and knocked on Duo's open door before swinging his head in. "Are you tired? You can rest if you like."

Duo looked down at him without raising his head. "I've practically slept myself back into a coma." He rose into a sitting position and waved Heero in. Maybe this room was supposed to be  _his_ sanctuary, but he didn't feel it was anything other than Heero's guest room. "What's on the menu for the day? You've apparently been excused from work."

Heero half-smiled and leaned back against the wall by the door. "Breakfast is first on my list. You?"

Duo's stomach gurgled. "Uh, sure. That'll work." He moved to stand, but Heero rolled his eyes and stepped in front of him. Duo had to lean his head back to see Heero's face.

"You are staying here. I have this one day off. I would like to do what I can for this day, which means not having to pick you up off the floor all day."

Duo stuck his tongue out at him. "I think I can manage to walk. I came up those stairs all on my own. Almost like a grown man." Or a drunken man. And Heero would know just how painful it had been to take those last few stairs, even if Duo had charged up them as if he didn't have a problem.

"But not quite." Heero smirked at the victory and pointed Duo to the bed. "Stay there. I'll make breakfast and bring it up. We can talk about everything that happened then."

Duo wanted to argue, but the promise of information was too great. Heero took the second victory with a little more aplomb and simply made to leave. Duo reached out and grabbed his sleeve. "Heero – hold on." But when Heero turned to him, he hesitated. Why did he suddenly feel like he was overburdened? "Relena." And that was it. Heero stilled beneath his hand. "You need to go see her."

Heero took a deep breath. "Zechs is with her. I–"

"She's your sister," Duo said. "You have to be worried about her. Go see her."

Heero shook his head. "My first responsibility is to you."

Duo had to swallow back another flinch. Responsibility? He was a responsibility? Was that the word for friends? "Then I'll go with you."

Heero looked at him like he was deranged. "Duo, you just woke up from being shot in the head." But his eyes lit with something, and Duo knew he was making the right choice.

"Heero, this is something I am going to do. You can either do it with me or not." And he let go of Heero and stood. His punctured leg gave him another warning twinge. It felt a little worse than the one before, but that might have been his imagination. He didn't buckle to it.

Heero stood as if he was looking at a crossroads, one that led to life, the other death. Duo took the matter out of his hands by walking past him and heading for the stairs. "I am eating a quick bowl of cereal and bothering them at this ungodly hour. Hurry up, Heero." And he started going down the stairs, one hand playing along the banister. The twinge in his leg hit a nerve or something, because it lit like a string dipped in kerosene, that quick, tight flash up to his thigh, and his leg buckled. He gripped the banister as his legs both gave out. He gasped in a breath and leaned his back straight so he fell in a better position. He stumbled down two steps before his grip on the banister stopped his fall. His head banged against the stairs and the pain that was playing around up there exploded out. He winced, the first sound he'd made during the fall.

"Duo!" Heero's footsteps pounded to the stairwell as Duo grabbed his head with his free hand, the other still locked like a vice around the banister, and sat up. Heero went down the first two steps until he was on a level to help Duo. Automatically he placed one hand against Duo's back. "Your head. Are you all right?"

"Son of a bitch, where did I get shot again?" Duo felt around his head, vaguely remembering his fear that his hair had been shaved off. It felt like it was all there, though.

"In the side. The bullet was shot at close range, so the bullet dug in, but they were able to take it out and stop the blood flow. There's a small hole in your hair where the bullet entered, but I had them save the rest." Heero pulled Duo's hand away from his head and cocked Duo's head slightly to begin his own search. "Did you hit it?"

"Hit the back of my head," Duo said, and unlocked his hands from the banister one finger at a time. His legs were both screaming at him, and to hell with any morphine he had left. He sat through Heero's examination with his brows furrowed.

"You seem all right. Be more careful." Heero leaned back on the stairs.

"Yeah, yeah, gotcha." Duo grabbed the banister again and pulled himself to his feet. Heero stood beside him and practically hovered. Duo ignored him and continued walking down, this time taking care with his movements. He got a few more warning twinges, but he didn't get another spike of pain, and so he safely reached the landing. Heero, of course, followed on his heels. "I'm still going."

"Duo, don't. I know you're worried about me, but–"

"Damn right. I don't even know what happened to her."

It took a little maneuvering to get off the landing, but then he was able to trail his hand over the wall as he hobbled to the kitchen. Heero had put the prescription they'd had filled on the table. Duo knocked the bottle over when he grabbed the table to steady himself when his old injuries refused his weight, but Heero was there to help him up and put the bottle upright again. "Duo, you shouldn't be doing this. You need to stay off the leg."

As if Duo didn't know what to do with an injury. He disregarded Heero entirely and dragged himself over, grabbing a bowl and almost slamming it onto the countertop. It took a little more effort to get the milk, then the cereal. Heero watched him, hands out as if to catch him. Duo took a break and caught his breath. While he could definitely feel the pain in her leg coming back, his toes and fingers and other little pieces of his body were swinging in and out of numbness. He shrugged it off and opened the cereal box.

"For the love of... here, I'll do it." Heero came up and took the cereal from him. "Sit down. I'll go."

Duo cocked an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Only if you sit down now." Duo bowed down gracefully, even if he didn't manage to sit with the same grace. Heero moved around the counter for a short time, then brought Duo's bowl to the table. "Hold on; I'll get you a spoon." And Heero walked the length of the kitchen once more, pulling out a spoon and handing it off to Duo. Duo took it and chowed down while Heero made his own bowl and sat opposite him.

They were silent as they ate. Heero kept shooting Duo looks, but he pretended not to see and eventually Heero just sighed and finished off his breakfast. Duo did shortly after Heero – he'd had to focus on holding the spoon. Stupid morphine. Stupid needle in the calf. Stupid Noin.

Once they finished, Heero put their dishes in the dishwasher and waited for Duo to get out of his seat before following behind him to the front door. Duo understood the concept of seeing if he needed help, but if Heero was going to hover like this the entire time, he might just blow a fuse.

Heero, of course, took the driver's seat, and Duo took his place beside him. His hands fumbled around the buckle, but he managed and Heero led them out of the drive. It took less than one minute for Duo to lean his head against the window, letting the cool glass refresh him a bit. He felt sleepiness rage a miniature war in him. "Heero."

Heero stopped at a stop sign and turned to him. "Duo?"

"I'm really glad for you, you know." He kept his head on the window and just closed his eyes. "About being adopted into the Peacecrafts. I don't know if I said it, so I'm just saying it now. I'm glad you have a family."

He didn't look over, not even as his words were followed by a rather extended silence. It turned awkward, then uncomfortable. He almost worried that Heero had caught on to his fears, but he still found it important that Heero know he was sincerely happy for Heero's happiness. Just in case there was ever anything else that came into Heero's life, something he may not find necessary to tell Duo. Something that, if it blindsided him, would knock him to his knees. Something like a girlfriend.

Heero stopped at a redlight before turning onto the highway. His hand reached out and touched Duo's knee. "You know... you're like... a brother to me."

Duo clenched his eyes, his shoulders, his fists. "Yeah. I know. And I... feel the same for you."

They made the rest of the trip in silence.

* * *

Relena came out to meet them, of course, with Zechs and that old guy – Paragon? – close behind her. Zechs had a hand to his forehead and seemed to be trying to talk to Relena, but she wasn't listening. "Heero! Duo!" She waved to them as if they couldn't see her. Heero hurried out of the car and to her side. Duo opened his own door and tested his strength on his feet before he levered himself up.

Heero turned to him, his eyes narrowed as he watched Duo gain his balance, before he turned back to Relena. "You shouldn't be out here."

"I know. Milliardo has units on the roof and around the house."

Duo leaned against the hood and stared at Relena like she'd sprouted a third head. Usually when she spoke of such defenses, she would be angry, annoyed. Disgusted. But now she seemed perfectly okay with it. Maybe this was a fake Relena, and she'd gotten someone to stand as her double.

"Let's get you inside." Heero ushered her back to Zechs and Paragon, then came back to Duo's side. "Duo? Are you all right?"

Duo waved Heero off and stood on his own mangled two legs. "I can manage to walk, Yuy." But once he let go of the car, he teetered in place. Heero moved to grab him, but he spread his legs a bit and just barely kept himself upright. Heero took his arm then and helped him limp toward the house. Zechs came out when they were halfway there and took Duo's other arm. The only reason they didn't carry him was because he snarled at them when they tried.

By the time he got into the foyer, he was feeling a dangerous pounding behind his skull, one that promised greater pain at a later date. He hadn't brought his pills, though he probably wouldn't want them for this. If Relena was going to keep hitting things into left field, he needed to keep his wits about him.

They were led through the foyer to a side room, obviously a greeting area, and sat down on a couch. Duo looked around. He hadn't been in this room as a dog. It felt somehow like he was entering the house for the first time all over again, and not just because he hadn't been in this particular room. It didn't count if you entered as a dog, apparently. He hadn't felt small when he'd been a dog. Lost, confused, amazed. But not small. Not like now. Maybe it was a human thing.

Relena sat away from the window, her back to the wall. Heero and Zechs moved to the opposite side and sat Duo down across from her, also away from the window. Heero sat next to Duo while Zechs stood beside Relena. The ex-queen sat with her fingers linked before her, not looking even remotely annoyed at having been ordered to stay where she was. Duo even saw her look to the window and lean back slightly. "Duo, I'm so glad you're safe. I thought..."

Duo shook his head just enough to make the warning pain pound once. "No, I'm fine. We Gundam pilots bounce back." He grinned for her.

She seemed to assess him, looking him up and down. "How are you? Your head? Your leg?"

He saw her teeth reach out to bite her lip, but she caught the movement and stopped it. Was she really that worried? "Fine." He caught Heero's glare. "Well, fine enough. I'm not all magically better, but I'll be fine in no time. We're actually here to check on you."

She seemed surprised by this and looked to Heero. "I thought I told you I was all right, that you should stay with Duo."

Heero shrugged. "He insisted."

Duo leaned forward, carefully out of line of the window's sight. "That's right, I did. Heero was worried about you. You kind've saw something I didn't want you to see."

Her lips twitched into a smile. "You losing?"

He laughed, even as the pain started to bang a little more repeatedly. "Nice one. But no. Me getting shot."

She winced and looked away. Shit. He'd been right. She really had been worked over by seeing that. No wonder she let herself be ushered into the house and hidden from the windows. Was she going to be so upset that she quit doing her work? Suddenly Duo had a whole new fear. Heero saw her as the embodiment of peace, and Duo could see why. She probably  _could_  keep this peace going. If she quit... "Yes," she said, finally speaking, "I did see it. I heard what Noin told you, Heero, but it doesn't change how I feel. I know I was manipulated, but..." Her fingers clenched. "I still have to concede that she was right. I had made... a very terrible mistake."

Well, Duo was lost. He looked at Heero, but he wasn't giving away any answers. He just kept staring at Relena with that old look on his face, the one Duo had once believed was romantic love with just a pinch of worry mixed in. It was certainly love, and Heero was definitely worried, but it was different. Familial. Duo sat back and looked at it, turning the look over in his head. No wonder he hadn't recognized it. He hadn't seen familial love since his time at the church, and that had been from adults to a kid.

Duo sighed and shook off the next few bitter thoughts. "Whatever you're talking about, we can get back to it later. What  _I_  was going to say was that since I fell, you were..." Alone? Unprotected? He didn't know how the mutant Relena would take that. "you were Noin's target."

Relena frowned. Her gaze turned from Duo to Heero. "Haven't you told him? I thought you soldiers always worried about what and when."

"We worry about what's important," Heero said, looking over to Duo. "I told him you were safe and that Noin had been caught. Other than that, his first concern was his status. What happened could be answered at any time."

Duo smiled. "That's pretty much exactly it. But now that I know I'm going to be okay, I want to know that you're okay. And Heero may follow your orders and take care of me, but he would keep worrying about you."

Relena did chew her lip this time. She glanced over at Zechs before standing, still keeping herself clear of the windows. "I... understand, I think. But I'd hoped the two of you would talk." She shot Heero a meaningful look that went right over Duo's head. Heero looked away, and Relena sighed. "But I guess not." She seemed to try to cheer up and shot a smile at Duo. "I'm doing well. Noin... she explained everything, after Heero caught her, and Quatre allowed me to stay and hear what she said."

Duo cocked his head. Relena was starting to pace a bit, and she was starting to wring her hands. That didn't look like she was all right. "Wait, wait. I thought Wufei and Quatre took me to the hospital."

"They did. Mr. Chang was trying to stop the blood loss, and Quatre hid me in the next room while Heero booked Noin. That's where I heard what she was saying. Quatre had to leave partway through, though, so he could get you to some help." She was definitely wringing her hands now.

"I... was unaware that you'd heard." Heero looked over to Relena, then to Duo. His gaze slipped to the floor, and he turned away again. Duo watched it all with a gaze that said he was seeing an alien crossdressing.

"I heard everything." She stopped pacing and cleared her throat. "Noin was doing it all because of me. She created Turris and the poison – she attacked all of you – to get to me."

Duo tried very hard not to roll his eyes. "We know that."

But she shook her head. "No. I mean she..."

"She never intended to kill Relena." Heero stood, too, apparently just as restless as Relena. Duo watched as Heero rolled his shoulders and leaned against the wall, almost mirroring Zechs. "She noticed how ignorant Relena was of the dangers of her job. How she was being threatened by those she was about to speak with."

Relena frowned. "I always thought that peace could only be achieved if I never showed any act of violence, even one so small as a gun on a bodyguard. Anything else would be an insult to my belief in pacifism. But..."

Duo tried to process what Relena was saying and found his brain breaking. "Wait, wait. But she poisoned us. She hunted us down and tried to kill us."

"She knew the poison wouldn't work. She tricked her followers." Relena looked over to Zechs. He seemed to be thinking about what she was saying, too. Was this the first time he was hearing the story? "Or at least that's what she said. She said she didn't expect anything to happen. She thought it would just default to the human DNA already in a person's body, that it would just weaken you so you got sick more – like a disturbed form of AIDS, I guess. Only incurable."

Duo held up his hand. "Wait a minute. So Noin screwed us over – screwed  _me_  over – on accident?"

Heero seemed almost to vibrate. "It was all to prove a point to Relena. Everything hinged on us going to get her. It was what she'd been waiting for." Heero sat back down beside Duo, though his back was so stiff it could have been forged steel. "She'd actually been waiting for me."

And just like that, Duo was happy he'd gone on ahead of Heero. "So wait. She wanted to shoot one of us?"

"With a rubber bullet, in front of Relena," Heero affirmed. "If she did, then she would see the price of what she did. That was Noin's excuse."

"She's right," Relena argued. "I may not agree with violence or weapons, but that will only give those who do a chance to fire on me. I never... I just..." Relena shook her head. "It's not that I didn't know that. It's just... if I showed a lack of trust, then..."

"We understand, Relena," Zechs said, his first contribution to the discussion.

"But I..." She hugged herself. She looked horrible, now that she was letting go of her perfect composure. Her lip seemed to want to tremble, her eyes seemed to squint, like she was looking far ahead and seeing something she didn't want to. "I just kept moving forward."

"That's what you should do," Heero said, and he went across the expanse of the room, cutting through the window's line of sight. Duo moved to stand and froze. This was, in essence, because he'd failed. If Heero  _had_  been the one to reach the top first, would he have been defeated by Noin? Yes, he'd been emotional, rushed. But would he have failed? Duo couldn't be sure. And he, with his injuries and disorientated state, had he really been on his top game, himself? Maybe Heero  _should_  have gone up first. If Relena hadn't seen him fall, she wouldn't be going through this. Maybe his coming here was a bad idea.

Then he surged onto his own feet, shocking the other three in the room. "Relena, for the first time in my life, I have to say you're wrong."

She blinked. Heero, who had gone beside her, paused in the act of touching her shoulders and glared at Duo. "Duo," he hissed, but Duo shrugged off his words.

"I have never seen you back down from your beliefs, no matter what was in the way. And your pacifism is what we all fought for. We never doubted you, so don't doubt yourself."

Relena hesitated. She rolled her bottom lip onto her teeth and bit down, looking to her two brothers. Both seemed rather too slack-jawed to respond to her gaze, so she turned back to him. "But my ideals are... they're dangerous to those around me." Her eyes flickered to Heero again, then to Milliardo, before coming back to him.

"Good." She almost took a step back at that. Duo plowed ahead before she could speak. "If others are willing to kill to keep you quiet, that means you're doing something right."

She nibbled on her lower lip before shaking her head. "I don't want someone hurt because of me."

Duo wanted to say it wasn't because of her, but that wasn't the point, and he knew it. "Video recording devices. Live broadcasts of meetings. A frisking of weapons, a demand to have them meet in the Sanc Kingdom, the heart of pacifism. There are a lot of ways to be safer without giving up your principles."

Heero's jaw was practically on the floor.

Relena seemed almost stuck in place, her lip popping out of her mouth as her teeth loosened their grip. "You're right." She was almost in a trance, stepping toward Duo, stopping and looking to the window before rushing over to his side. "You're right!" And she hugged him.

Duo caught her, though his legs both wanted to buckle underneath him. Heero strode over, gently touching Relena's shoulder. She looked over to him and let go of Duo to hug Heero. Duo stumbled and just barely landed on the couch, so he missed her lift her feet. He just saw Heero turn her around once. But he saw Heero's smile. Zechs caught his eye and lifted his head. It was an acknowledgment of what Duo had done. Duo cocked the man a grin and shrugged. Shit, his knees hurt even worse now.

Heero put Relena back on the floor, safely away from the windows. "I'll be safer," she promised. "I won't go outside the Kingdom to meet, and I'll make the meetings live. There shouldn't be privacy in such things, anyway. This concerns all of us. And I'll make sure to listen to Milliardo from now on." She looked over to Zechs. "I promise, Milliardo."

Zechs nodded. He didn't seem able to do much more.

Paragon came in then, ducking his head through the doorway and speaking to Zechs. Duo closed his eyes and leaned his head back. The couch was of good quality, both firm and soft, with upholstery soft enough to feel like velvet. Beside him was a china cabinet, stuffed with dishes that were probably expensive. He yawned and felt his head protest even that movement.

"All right," Zechs murmured. He straightened and turned to Relena. "I have to go for a moment; it seems Noin is creating a fuss in her cell."

"Do you need me to come with you?" Heero moved over to Zechs' side.

Zechs hesitated. "No. I need to speak with her on my own."

"I'll stay here with Paragon," Relena said, then she turned to Duo's side. "I want Duo to rest. And I think Heero's the best one to be by his side." And she grabbed Duo's hand in hers and beamed him a smile. "Right, Duo?"

He blushed. Holy crap, but he blushed. "I'll be fine on my own."

She frowned.

"Duo, I'm not leaving you alone. If I went with Zechs, I would get one of the others to stay with you."

Duo's eyes widened. "Oh, my God, are you on babysitting detail?" He hadn't quite thought of it like that yet, but the words seemed to fit. Almost he hurt for it, but really? It was better than being a dog. Better than being alone. And every one of them had the right to say no. In fact, the word 'no' was one Wufei and Heero practiced more than any other human he'd known. It was a friend thing.

A friend thing.

"No, it's not like th..." Heero saw Duo's grin and rolled his eyes. "Hn." He turned back to Zechs and started a conversation with him, deliberately keeping his voice low. Duo read his lips just long enough to know he was asking about Noin before he gave the two their privacy.

"So, Miss Peacecraft, what exactly happened after I crashed out?"

She looked at Heero and Zechs for a moment longer before she turned to him. "I... Noin shot you and Heero showed up. I... I screamed, I think." Duo turned the two of them away from Heero and Zechs. The latter was looking a little... worse for wear. "Heero shouted. He sounded like an animal. And then I heard noises – gunshots, and more shouting, but I... I couldn't really..." Duo made to comfort, but she shook whatever it was off before he could say anything. "And then Heero had her on the ground, and he was screaming for you. I... I'd never heard him like that before. Not ever."

Duo winced. Heero had screamed once before, too, when he'd been a do. And Duo remembered something Heero had said once, a long time ago, near the end of the war. That he'd seen too much death. Heero had looked like a man who'd seen one specific death too many. A death that turned to nightmares. "He tried to kill her."

"He almost did, but she shouted something in another language and he stopped." She wrung her hands. "She tried to get up, but he shoved her to the ground – she'd already been underneath him – and he told with her in that language. Then Quatre and Mr. Chang came in and they went to you, and Heero pulled her out. Quatre came back for me and took me down to the bottom floor, and then he took me to hear what Noin was saying to Heero." Relena's eyes darted over to Heero, and something in her gaze shifted. It was like that old look, only there was more sadness than worship. "Duo, you have to talk to him. You just have to."

"We have talked." Duo clapped her on the shoulder and gave her his mega-watt grin. "He's gonna be okay."

But she shook her head and grabbed his arm. "Duo, how do you feel about Heero?"

He stiffened. "What?"

"How do you feel about him?" she repeated. "Is he special to you?"

"Uh, yeah." He gulped down the lump in his throat. Suddenly Relena seemed like a sort of menace. "He's my closest friend. No matter what, we stand by each other. Partners."

She shook her head and pulled on his arm again, then again. "No, that's not what I mean."

"Relena..." If he could run without his legs failing him, he would. "That's–"

"Because he cares about you!"

"Relena, we're going to head out now." Heero came over between them and stared at Relena. She let go of Duo's arm, but the childishness was gone. She lifted her chin and glared. Duo just let it go and shrugged away from the two of them. Zechs was already gone from the room, and Paragon was just coming in. Duo looked to Heero and Relena just in time to see them hug, and to see Relena whisper into Heero's ear, "you tell or I do."

Duo looked away before he could see Heero's response.

Eventually they separated, and Heero ushered Duo out. Paragon offered to help, but Duo declined. If he needed to be helped by the old man, then he should just retire now. Heero started the car up and drove off, waving a short good-bye from Paragon, who stood by the window. Duo saluted the old man and leaned back against the seat. He could feel his heartbeat in all of his wounds. In his legs, against his skull. He closed his eyes against the light of the sun through the windshield.

"Duo? Are you all right?"

He nodded without opening his eyes. "Yeah. I'm glad she's okay. And I'm glad you got to talk to her." He waited, having given Heero to opening to speak to him. He thought of what Relena had said to him – that Heero cared for him – and remembered how Heero had cut her off at just the right moment. But Duo knew Heero cared. They'd just told one another that they thought they were brothers. Maybe... "Hey, Heero?"

"Hn."

Duo opened his eyes. Heero was at an intersection. He closed them again. "Relena really cares about you, doesn't she? To worry about your happiness enough to see how I feel about you." He didn't have to look over to know Heero was tense. "I know we aren't exactly the mushy sorts, but you know I meant what I said earlier, right?"

Heero turned onto a different lane. Duo could tell from the sound of the blinker. "Hn?"

"That I think of you as..." Duo was going to say 'brother' again, but he found he couldn't make himself say that word. It just wasn't true. "As my greatest friend, someone very important to me." He felt himself blushing and scowled. "Stupid mushy crap."

He heard Heero's half-laugh. "Hn." Duo heard the blinker turn on again. "Same."

In the end, Duo just couldn't do it. "So what does Relena plan on telling me?"

Heero didn't make any sounds for a moment or two, but then he sighed. "She wants to make sure you... think of me as a true friend."

That didn't sit right, but then what could it be? Duo's mind gave him an answer, but he didn't think he could believe it. Heero had become much nicer to him after the whole 'dog' thing, but before that, he'd been standoffish, almost-but-not-quite cold. It was just how Heero was. Silently getting someone's back, calmly creating a bond of loyalty without a word or gesture. So much so that sometimes it seemed even Heero wasn't aware of it. "I do."

Heero was silent. Then, "I know."

* * *

It was nighttime before they really pulled out of the awkwardness the conversation in the car had created. Duo was taken back up to his room, and Heero took to his own. Duo massaged his punctured calf, feeling a soreness that would only get worse in the morning. His head, which had gone from a warning throb to an all-around suck sort of slamming, was banging kettle drums against the side of his head. He situated himself under the covers and laid his head on the pillow. The coolness felt so good he could almost feel it soothing his poor skull. Of course, it smelled like Heero's detergent.

Brothers. Friends. He couldn't help but think about the dinner they'd had, with him tossing together a salad while Heero cooked a casserole with beef and macaroni and ketchup. They'd sat awkwardly making conversation and shoveling food in their mouths, and when they'd finished, Heero had insisted on cleaning up the dishes alone.

He breathed in the scent and buried his face in the pillow. There wasn't much for him to do, was there? If Heero thought of Duo as more than a friend, then Heero would have to be the one to breach the gap. Duo risked too much to become his friend to lose it all on a wrong gamble.

Then again, Heero would never admit such a thing. If Relena had meant something more... Duo couldn't think about it. It was best to believe there was nothing more in Heero than friendship. He'd almost lost that. He would be content with it.

He would be.

* * *

Heero knocked on Duo's door, startling him awake. He peeked out from underneath the blankets. "Yeah?"

Heero opened the door and popped his head in. "I'm going to work, but you have to stay here. Call me if you need something. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Duo blinked up at Heero once, then stuck his tongue out and snuggled his head back into the pillow.

Duo just barely heard Heero's huff of a laugh before he clicked the door shut and left. Duo listened to Heero's receding footsteps as they went down the hall, then the stairs. He heard the door downstairs open and close. A while later, a car left down the road.

Duo buried his face a little deeper.

A few minutes later, he rolled out of the bed and dragged himself to the bathroom, resorting to leaning against the wall to pee, since his injured muscles were seizing up and the pounding in his head was making him dizzy. He washed his hands afterward. It took his a while, with his legs buckling a bit beneath him. He was surprised Heero had left. The man had almost become overprotective recently. It was when he was back in his room trying to change out of his old clothes that he saw his pills on the nightstand. "Subtle." He dragged himself over to them and scowled. He didn't want to. Moreover, he shouldn't have to. He'd gone through worse. And he was a little touchy on the whole 'drugs' thing at the moment.

He got his underwear and pants on by sitting on the bed. He got his shirt on by increasing the size of his headache to fit the amount of frustration he felt. He finally dragged himself out of the room a good fifteen minutes after he started the little endeavor, but this time when he left, large clumps of hair were falling from his braid and into his face. He tried to swipe them away and almost lost his balance. He had to sit on his butt and bump his way down the stairs; by the time he made it to the landing, he simply curled up there and sat his head on the wall. Maybe he should go back upstairs and get his pills. Yeah. That would probably be a good idea.

"Duo? Where – Duo!" Footsteps pounded over to him. He groaned and pressed his head against the wall a little harder, but the pounding reverberated up the wall and made his head bounce a little bit. The pain beat its way into his skull. "Duo, Duo..." And Heero said his name again and again as he touched Duo's forehead. He groaned again.

"No," he whispered. "My head hurts. I need to stay still."

"I'll get your pills." And Heero got up from his side and went up the stairs, his footsteps as careful as he could make them.

Duo looked up as Heero disappeared. The movement made his head just  _pound_. He thought he could hear Heero opening his door upstairs. He turned to the window in the living room. Was it just him, or had the sunlight only moved a little bit? He didn't think it could be past noon. But he was tired and in pain, and he just was having nothing of it. He closed his eyes again.

Heero came back down the stairs. "Wet or dry?"

Duo swallowed. His throat was practically like a desert. "Wet." He licked his lips and watched Heero go past him to the kitchen. His yawn made his skull feel like it was cracking open. "Time?"

He hadn't spoken loudly, but Heero had heard him. "Eleven. I tried to call you, but you didn't answer." So of course he'd come back. Duo would have been able to handle the problem. Eventually. Heero came back into the room, glass in hand, and sunk beside Duo on the floor. "What happened?"

"Forgot how much being shot in the head hurt." Duo grabbed the glass of tap water Heero held and gulped down a bit before popping in the pills in his other hand. Then he downed the rest of the drink. "I just got tired and rested. I lost track of time. You should go back to work."

"It's just paperwork, anyway. You know how it goes." Once Duo finished, Heero pulled the glass back and sat against the banister. "How long?"

This was where he'd have to gloss over a few things. "I went back to sleep after you left... probably an hour or so after that."

Heero let loose a deep breath. "So at least a half-hour before that."

Duo grimaced. Busted again. Sometimes being close friends with someone wasn't always just benefits. "I speak no evil."

Heero just sighed and stood. "Can you stand?"

"Yeah." And even if he couldn't, he wouldn't say so. Heero gave him a suspicious look, but he held out a hand to help Duo up, and he ended up needing that. Heero led him against the wall again as he stood, this time so that his legs didn't give out. "These things are going to make me sleepy, aren't they?"

"Yes." And Heero carted him up the stairs, letting Duo try to climb until his head started fogging up and his eyelids became too heavy to ignore. Then he was whooshed off his feet and carried freakin' bridal-style up the stairs and to the room. Duo scowled and mumbled something that should have been a complaint, but it sounded too sleepy to be anything other than pathetic baby talk. He did swat Heero's chest, though.

Heero laid him down on the bed and pulled the covers out from underneath him. "'Sucks," Duo said, and glared up at Heero.

Heero gave him that half-smile and settled the covers over him. "I know. I have your back."

Duo blinked. It was a slow process. "You know," he said suddenly, "I think I love you."

Heero stilled.

Somehow, Duo realized in his drug-induced brain that he might have said something wrong. "But you're my best friend," he said. "And I almost lost that with Noin's stupid poison. I'm good."

Heero's hand moved, raising up to touch him. Then it fell. "It's... I'll talk with you about it when you wake up. Okay?"

Duo hummed. Heero didn't sound angry. "Yeah."


	15. Every Dog Has Its Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heero and Duo deal with Duo's admission.

Duo woke up with a knot in his stomach the size of a small continent.

He'd said it.

Shit. He needed to repair this fence immediately. He had to make some excuse – that he'd been taken in by the drugs, maybe, or that he hadn't used the right words. And he had to say it fast.

He pulled himself up from the bed. He was still under the effects of the medication; he could tell because he didn't feel any pain in his legs when he stood, or in his head as he looked around. It was gray out, almost black. He looked out the window and stared at the neighboring houses before leaving his bed unmade and walking into the hallway. That pain medication was great. If he walked carefully, he felt nothing.

He thought he could hear something from downstairs, soft footfalls and a pan clinking against a stove. Heero was cooking. His mouth started salivating right there. He still had to recover from going an entire day with nothing but that hospital liquid food.

The stairs were next after the hallway, and he hesitated in front of them. He'd bumped his way down before, when he hadn't needed to worry about an audience. Did he want to do that again? Or did he want to risk falling to his death in order to save his pride? He stood there for a while, staring down at the landing. He could remember Heero coming to him earlier, when he hadn't taken his medication, but the pictures were a bit distorted. Probably because his headache had been so fierce he hadn't been sure which direction was up. But he remembered Heero's words, and his worry.

That was what made him decide; he had to get downstairs and talk this out with Heero, and he had to make sure any stupid move he might be willing to make wouldn't alter the course of the conversation to other matters. Like, say, his stupid move. So he held the banister and leaned down and sat his butt on the upper landing before using his feet to keep him stable as he hopped his butt down to the first step. Injuries sucked.

Heero must have heard him moving or something then, because Duo suddenly heard more movement in the kitchen. Heero's footsteps came out to the living room. "Duo?"

"Coming down," he said, but of course Heero came over to check on him. He stood at the bottom of the landing and seemed to watch for any slip of movement for him to rush up the stairs. Duo gritted his teeth. That cobalt gaze seemed to be asking for something, squinted like that. And there was a thinness to his lips that said he was pressing them tightly together. Duo glared at him before resuming his descent.

He could almost hear Heero's relief when he reached the bottom, and he was offered Heero's hand to get up. Once he was on his feet, it was back to the kitchen, where Duo was ordered into a seat and Heero turned off the pasta on the stove and opened the oven to pull out the chicken.

"Uh, Heero? About what I said when I woke up–"

"We'll talk about it once I've sat down."

Well. That sounded... ominous. "Okay." And he started twiddling his thumbs.

Heero pulled out the chicken, stirred the pasta, and turned off the corn. Duo didn't get up when Heero grabbed the plates, almost worried about what was going to happen. He hadn't meant to say it. He still couldn't quite believe he had. And Heero was just moving around the stove putting corn on their plates as if nothing had happened.

Heero sat Duo's plate before him and placed his own down before sitting in his seat. Duo eyed his food like it was... well, poison. "Eat," Heero said, and Duo grabbed his fork on instinct. He waited for a moment, thinking it might just jump up and attack him, but it didn't and Heero wouldn't poison him, anyway. Unless he really was that upset by Duo's stupid moment of the decade. Heero sighed. "I'm not angry."

Duo poked the chicken and just gave up. "Heero, I didn't–"

"I was told once," he said, raising his voice in order to drown Duo out, "that I should follow my emotions. A very important person in my life gave me those words before he passed away. I should follow them." Heero cut into the chicken with his fork. "I love you, too."

Duo stopped poking at his food. His jaw dropped. "What?"

He stuck the piece of chicken in his mouth and chewed. "You heard me."

Duo's heart beat hard and slow, then raced. "Heero, are you talking–"

"You heard me."

The man was just sitting there eating like nothing had happened! Like he hadn't just said... said... Duo actually heard his brain break. "You mean like... like love-love. Like–"

"Were you referring to something different?"

Duo's mouth opened and closed like a carp's. He could back out. But... if this was real – if it wasn't some illusion, then... "No."

Heero stopped eating and looked up to him. His eyes seemed even bluer than usual. He placed his fork down and stood. Duo stood, too, ready to take whatever came. He felt something in his stomach quivering. He'd almost lost this friendship once, and now he was putting it on the line for what may or may not be what he wanted. Heero stopped just in front of Duo, too close to be getting ready to punch him. One of them moved first – Heero, maybe, grabbed Duo's braid first – or maybe Duo snatched Heero's shoulder – but then they each leaned forward and mashed their lips together. They stood there, lips simply pressed, feeling the warmth and newness of the sensation, before they both opened their mouths and delved their tongues inside. It was a sort of battle. Duo felt his brain misting over; his hands were lifted by some strange force to dig into Heero's shoulders and climb to the nape of his neck, into his hair. It was wild and thick and cool to the touch. He groaned. "What planet am I on?" he asked, finally ripping his mouth free and looking at Heero.

That huff-laugh whooshed a bit of air into Duo's face, making it impossible to not notice. "I find it hard to believe this is real, myself."

"For how long?" Duo asked.

Heero's hands slid to Duo's hips. "About a year now. On the mission against Barkley and his men, when you got shot defending the newbies."

Duo remembered that. It was a simple bust, but two of the newbies decided to go left instead of right and jumped straight in front of the enemies. Duo covered them and got hit in the left shoulder for his trouble. Heero had run up to cover  _him_ , and Duo could remember Heero shouting for his status. "You saw me get shot and that did it?"

"No. I saw you run to them and thought, 'shit.'" Duo saw the look in Heero's eyes, a look that pulled at his frown and deepened the cobalt in his eyes. "I had to take out the men on my side before going after you, and I found myself distracted. That's when it seemed to just... I had never thought the word before, but then it just entered my head. Right in the middle of battle." And Heero touched Duo's cheek. "But I had never had a friend before you."

"We were stupid." Heero's fingertips were warm. "I didn't want to lose all my hard work with you."

Heero half-smiled. "Am I a pet?"

Duo laughed. "Maybe a dog?" He stepped into Heero's embrace, close enough that their hips were pressed together. "What kind of dog would you be, Heero?"

"I certainly wouldn't be a chocolate lab."

Duo was laughing when they kissed again.

* * *

It was strange. It was almost as if they just slid straight into the next level, as if they'd been together for years. Nothing seemed to change. Heero spent the rest of the day with Duo, and after they finished Heero's meal, they went to the living room and just... talked. Duo told Heero that he'd refused to think the word at all, and Heero admitted he'd mentally chanted Dr. J's lectures on love before every bust. Duo explained everything that had happened when he'd been a dog, and Heero told him how scared he'd been when they couldn't find him. And when Duo asked about Heero's scream when Duo hadn't been in Relena's safehouse, Heero told him of a little girl with a white hat and a brown puppy named Mary.

The only thing that really changed was the touching. They couldn't seem to get enough of it. Heero was always touching Duo's face and hair, Duo Heero's chest and legs and just everywhere. He'd always been the one to initiate contact during the war, and he'd unconsciously made the most of it, hugging Heero, giving him light noogies, putting a hand on his shoulder as he read what was on Heero's laptop. But this was new. He could never touch Heero like this before, touches that were blatantly personal and definitely more than friends.

They went on like that, waiting for night to turn late, practically vibrating with want, until the doorbell rang. They both looked toward the door. "Stay there," Heero said, getting up from the couch they'd both been sitting on. "I'll get it."

Duo was still in a little bit of a daze from it all, so it took until the guests actually entered the house for him to realize that it was Quatre and Trowa and Wufei. Quatre looked over to Duo, then back at Heero, and then he smiled. "I'm glad to see the both of you are well. Wufei told me Heero left to come see how you were. He didn't come back, and he didn't call." Quatre raised an eyebrow at Heero.

"I forgot."

The words were met with silence. Duo almost laughed; it seemed everyone had a hard time picturing Heero forgetting something. "I guess I kind've... distracted him."

Wufei blinked and looked between them. "I can't believe it."

"Did you two actually do it?" Trowa asked. He stepped over to Duo and looked into his eyes. "You did. Unbelievable."

Duo frowned. "What the hell are you two talking about?"

"You two confessed, didn't you?" Quatre clapped his hands together. "Oh, thank goodness. I was really getting worried." Duo exchanged a glance with Heero and found the man just as lost as he. Quatre reached forward and grabbed Duo's hand. "Should we leave and come back?"

"What? No!" Duo sprung up from the couch. "What did you come here for?"

Wufei laughed. "This is too good."

"We only came because Zechs is going back to Noin. She spoke to him earlier today and he walked out of the cell block. He asked if we wanted to join him this time."

"I do." Heero went over to Duo. "You should stay here."

"Or I could not." Duo wanted his chance to speak with Noin, as well, since she'd tried to kill him. And if Heero was going in order to support his brother, then Duo would go to support Heero. "I guess we'll all be going."

"Are your legs all right?" Quatre asked. "Your head?"

"I'll be fine. I took the damn pills." Duo shot Heero a warning glance.

"In any case, you're to stay in the back." Wufei came up to Duo and touched his head, pushing with his finger until Duo obligingly turned his head for the man's inspection. "We've had enough of your gallivanting."

Gallivanting? "I got it." He swatted Wufei's hand away. "Let's just go."

"Go? Weren't you enjoying yourself here?"

Duo flushed. He should've known this would start. "Oh, yeah? Wanna see what you missed?" He walked over to Heero and put an arm on his shoulder. Heero just looked down at him and raised a brow.

"No, Maxwell, I do not." And Wufei looked away. Duo grinned. And the victory went to him.

They each left to their respective cars, with Quatre getting into Trowa's and Duo getting into Heero's. They all drove to the Darlian estate. Zechs waited in his car for them just outside the gate, and as they arrived he waved them to follow him. Heero took his place directly behind his adoptive brother's car, then Trowa, then Wufei, each of them looking like a funeral procession as they drove down the city streets. Duo leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. He wasn't really feeling too many of the effects of the drugs, which meant that the pain would be returning soon. Fun galore.

"Are you tired? In pain?"

Duo rolled his head over to Heero and slit open his eyes. "Not really. Just thinking." Heero switched his eyes from the road for a moment and gave Duo a 'continue' look. "Just... I kind've get the whole 'gonna-teach-her' thing that Noin was pulling, but why me? Why doing all that? It was an act of terrorism. If she was trying to make the point that Relena was naïve, why not pretend to be nice and hold her hostage once she and Relena got together?"

Heero rolled his shoulders. "For one thing, she probably didn't have the chance to do that. Relena isn't allowed out of the house when hostile visitors are being received. She neglected that when she heard about what happened to us, but you saw how she had to return immediately. And secondly, the plan was slightly different than that."

Duo's brow furrowed. "How so?"

Heero switched lanes, staying just behind Zechs. "It isn't just with hostile national leaders that Relena does things... recklessly. She believes that no one truly wants to fight. That nothing can be gained from it. It's led her to several problems when it comes to threats, terrorists in particular."

That... actually made sense. Thinking that no one gained from fighting was foolish. If that were true, then why would they fight at all? People only do things in order to gain something. That was what the entire war Duo and the others had fought had been about. Who could gain more than anybody else. "Maybe... was I wrong to tell Relena that her methods were okay?"

"No." Heero turned on his turn signal again, but a crazy person cut in front of him and he had to relinquish his place behind Zechs. "You were right," Heero said. "She may still have things to learn, but what she is doing guarantees the continuance of peace." And then things shifted again; when just a moment before they'd just been their usual selves, Heero reached out and touched Duo's hand. He pulled it back quickly, but the movement alone was so abnormal it made Duo's mind slip out of its comfort zone. He had to remind himself that they weren't 'friends' anymore, but something more.

"Yeah. You're right." He closed his eyes again. Heero drove off the interstate, then stopped the car. Probably a red light. "So," he said, entering the silence, "what exactly am I supposed to call you?"

"Hn?"

Duo looked to Heero again. Heero glanced at the light – still red – before turning his gaze to Duo, as well. "I mean, we aren't just friends now."

Something glittered in that deep blue. "No."

Things didn't really feel like they'd changed. Should they? He'd been teased enough by Wufei already that he should be feeling... something. "So what are we? Boyfriends?"

Heero snorted.

"Yeah, I didn't think that one would fly, either." He looked back out the windshield. "Green."

Heero pressed on the gas automatically, his gaze sliding forward as he turned, once again getting behind Zechs as the psycho driver kept going straight. Duo wished the people around the driver the best of luck. "Significant other."

"Eh?" Duo looked back over. "What is that? Some euphemism?"

"Perhaps." Heero followed as Zechs pulled over and parked in front of a county police station. "It's what homosexual partners call one another, at least when filling out their information."

Duo blushed. Homosexual partners? Was that... how he would be defined now? Somehow it didn't seem right. He watched movies, television... he was nothing like those people. And Heero most certainly was not. He watched the back of Zechs' car, watched the taillights and they pulled up to the state penitentiary. Noin would probably only be here for a short while longer. She was too high-profile a case to be left in anything less than a modern-day Alcatraz.

They all got out as if they'd rehearsed it, each waiting for the one behind them before opening their doors and stepping out. Guards came to speak with them, but Heero and Zechs went as a team and browbeat the guards before Quatre had even stepped out. Duo watched Heero's back instinctively. Places like this, with enemies everywhere... it didn't matter if they were locked up. Duo knew full well how easy it was to escape from places like this. Going into the lion's den without proper weaponry made his shoulders ache.

Once the guards were settled once more and they'd been allowed entrance, Zechs took point. Heero took his back, and when Duo went to stand behind Heero, he was pulled back to stand between Trowa and Quatre. He could hardly see Heero, with Wufei directly behind his new... 'significant other' and Quatre behind him. They were obviously going with the power surge, with Heero and Wufei up front. It was an old formation.

Duo couldn't see much save for what was beside him, with three backs in the way of his vision and another taking his back. He looked around at the entrance booth as he passed it. The guard was tall and mustached and probably hadn't fought a battle in years. His stance made him look tall and wide, but it was full of easy holes. Maybe there were better trained men inside.

Someone was talking to Zechs up in the front, but Duo hardly got more than a glance of a uniform. Duo understood quickly why they'd chosen this formation; as soon as they were led through to the cells, the hallway thinned, until the cells gave berth to only two or three skinny people. And with some prisoners having a penchant to reach out and try to grab, it was almost necessary to go one at a time. No wonder this place wasn't used to house the strong enemies. Duo could almost see them rushing in after him, one at a time – how they would pile up until he'd have to climb over their corpses. Easy pickings.

Someone in a cell shouted curses at them. Another banged on their cell door. The guard with Zechs actually yelled at them – so of course every man in every cell started shouting and jeering and hissing at the guard. Duo sighed and touched his head. The drugs were definitely wearing off. He was starting to get that damn headache. He hoped he could last it out until he got back to Heero's.

They kept going past cell after cell, until finally they came to a stop at the very end. Duo couldn't believe it. She'd practically been taken to solitary. If the woman had wanted to escape, there was nothing between her and the back of the prison, where Duo was certain no one stood guard. Was she even still in the cell?

But he heard Zechs say something, watched him lean over. The blond disappeared from Duo's view. Heero followed shortly after, his tuft of wild hair sprouting from around Wufei's form. What were they doing? The guard was talking. Duo looked around him and saw two inmates, both of whom were interested in him. One was looking him up and down with drawn brows. The other, a female, was grinning from ear to ear. "Look, Jimmy, it's a  _girl_  for you."

The man's brows drew further over those narrow eyes. "That's a girl, then?"

Son of a... Duo had to take a deep breath. When he was a kid, he'd lived because he was thought to be a girl. Somehow it was suddenly annoying to still be thought of as a girl when he was probably a legal adult now. Wouldn't girls have breasts?

But the woman's thin lips were practically cracking her face when she answered Jimmy. "Oh, yeah."

Bitch.

Heero stood again, just as Trowa snickered at Duo's back. Duo's partner turned to him. "Duo?"

"Duo?" Jimmy said. "Is that a girl's name?"

"Jimmy, just look at the hair."

Duo's fists clenched. Quatre and Wufei moved slightly out of Duo's way, standing between him and Noin as Duo made his way through. Heero reached out and grabbed Duo's hand as he got closer. Duo could see Noin now, and Zechs. Both were looking at the two of them with wide eyes. "Say what you're going to say." Heero's voice was low and hard as steel. The hand over Duo's didn't hurt, but Duo could feel the strain on muscles being denied. He squeezed Heero's hand and pulled his own free.

Noin watched Duo as he stepped forward. Duo could feel the tension popping off of Heero, noticed Zechs reacting to Heero. Noin lay in her cot on her side, one elbow propping her head up, one knee bent and pointed to the ceiling. The rest of her body faced him. "Duo."

Duo cocked his head at her. "I screwed over your lesson plans, teacher."

Noin's eyes flickered to Zechs before they hardened. She smiled just enough to show her teeth. "I heard."

"This wasn't what you wanted to say," Heero said. The man practically cocked his gun like a ranger. Duo shot Heero a look, but Heero wasn't paying any attention to him. Duo bet that if Noin coughed at that moment, Heero would have shot her. He didn't know if he should feel pleased or annoyed.

Probably annoyed.

"Heero, am I not your partner? Knock it off." Heero's gaze burned into him, a dark blue fire. Duo realized the double meaning of the term and glared.

"I'm glad I missed."

Duo turned to Noin. She hadn't moved from her position on the cot. Her hair was wild. He only now noticed, as if something like that was unnecessary and thus hadn't even entered his mind. But he could see now that it was a little greasy, disheveled and obviously the worse for wear. And she hadn't been taken out of her clothes from... from when they'd fought. Duo thought he could see flecks of blood on her shirt. Probably his blood. Duo blinked. Well. No wonder Heero had gotten upset.

"You're glad you screwed up?"

She shrugged one shoulder, the one not holding her head up. "That's all I really had to say."

Duo shook his head. "Oh, no. What you had to say to me involves that drug. What are its other effects? Is there anything else I need to worry about?"

She waved his questions away. "The drug was only supposed to mess with your DNA. And since I'd left it without anything to change into, you should have reverted to your old DNA structure. Yous Shouldn't have even turned into a dog. It was my subordinates' idea to use the dog DNA as a basis for deconstruction." That waving hand fell against her side once more. "There should be no ill effects. You were a dog, now you're human. If you don't have impaired vision or better hearing right now, then you'll be fine for the rest of your life."

Duo couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you telling me I could still have some dog-like qualities?" He tried to tell if he did or didn't, but he couldn't be sure. His hearing felt like less, his sense of smell weak. He hadn't gotten any of that, had he? He wasn't going to look in Heero's bathroom mirror and see a little doggy tail, was he?

"If you don't, then you don't. Otherwise, you should be fine."

Otherwise?

"Anything physical would have been found by the hospital," Zechs said, his voice quiet. Duo turned to him. "As for your senses, you would be immediately aware of such a thing."

"And that's about it," Noin said. "I don't have anything else to say."

Nothing else? A jeer was coming from behind him, one that was raising Qat's and Tro's tension. Duo wasn't really paying attention. "So that's it? You turn me into a dog, kidnap Relena, shoot me to leave some manipulative message for Relena to do as you want her to... and that's it?" There wasn't even an apology!

"I did what needed to be done."

"But you were  _wrong_." Duo moved back a pace and felt the tension in Heero recede a bit. "Noin, during the war you were smarter than this."

"During the war, I was in charge of protecting a girl who refused to accept that war involved death!" Noin pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her hands clenched into the thin sheet on her cot. "A woman who thought speaking the truth made her immune to bullets! She threw herself between two battling mobile suits on the belief that she wouldn't be harmed!"

Duo blinked. Okay. He hadn't known about that one. One quick look at Heero, however, told him that his... 'significant other'... had very well known.

"And even now, she refuses escorts – even unarmed! She ignores her own brother's concerns – she acts as if nothing can touch her! That no one wants to!" And Noin stood, thrusting a hand toward Zechs. "And what would Zechs do if she died?"

Things stilled. Duo couldn't explain it any other way. Everyone stood in place. The small sounds of movement dissipated. From the silence came the call, "c'mon, already! I'll show you a good time, suga'!" It was from one of the two cells Duo had stood beside before. Jimmy's cell. Duo rolled his eyes. The man had been in jail for too long.

Zechs was the one to move, and every eye turned to him. He stood straight, his back like steel, turned away from her. He started walking away.

"I did the same as you, Zechs!" she said, but Zechs kept going. If anything, his head rose, as if he were trying to keep it erect. Noin stepped away from the cot, one hand reaching up, but she dropped it. And like that, everything in her sagged. "I did the same as you. The same..." She put her hands over her face and hunched in. "Even you don't understand?"

Heero stepped forward. "With family, it's different." And he grabbed Duo's hand and turned to him. "Are you ready to go?" Heero asked, bending over slightly to whisper in Duo's ear. Duo nodded. He watched Noin as she dropped her hands, her entire body slumped, as if gravity was too heavy a burden. Her cheeks were dry, but her eyes were wet. He followed Heero out of the penitentiary without a word.

* * *

It was past midnight when they got back to Heero's house, finally leaving Zechs at the bar. Neither Duo nor Heero had drunk all that much, but they'd catered to Zechs' emotional needs – which, at the time, had been by assisting him in getting both shit-faced and safely home. The others had left shortly after they'd left the penitentiary, each with their own work to do. Wufei and Trowa had decided to go in to Preventors to change partners with Heero and Duo, and Quatre needed to release a statement to the late-night press about what had happened with Noin. Zechs had been the only one left, and Heero couldn't leave his brother when he was trying to get himself wrapped around a telephone pole.

Duo's headache had begun to storm by the time they got back, and Heero's first job when they'd walked in was to lead Duo upstairs to his pills. The light in the bedroom was left off for some reason, and the darkness was only broken by the moon outside Duo's window. It made things slightly gray, made Heero's contours stand in sharp detail. Duo set down the glass of water, keeping it away from the edge of the nightstand, and turned to Heero.

Somehow, it all still didn't feel quite right. Trowa and Wufei were getting ready to break up their partnership and rework it so that Heero and Duo wouldn't have to flounder once their relationship became known at HQ, since marital partners couldn't be partnered on busts. Maybe that would help Duo see the change? But still, it didn't feel quite right.

Heero sighed. "What is it missing?"

Duo almost jumped. "What?"

Heero raised his hand and touched Duo's cheek. His hand fell to Duo's jaw, then his neck. Duo could feel the hot punch of desire in his loins. His breathing quickened. "I've wanted to do this for so long. Why does it feel strange?"

Duo laughed. He couldn't help it. With one hand he held Heero's hand on his neck. The other he placed on Heero's shoulder. "I feel the same. It's weird, you know? Thinking of you as not off-limits. It almost hurts."

Heero nodded. Duo saw, in the darkness, that wild hair bob a bit. "Like we're playing a game."

"Like it's fake."

Heero was silent then, but the fingers against Duo's skin stilled like marble. "Fake?"

Duo squeezed Heero's hand. "I don't know. I know what I feel isn't fake." He was very glad they hadn't turned on the lights. "But what's changed?"

Heero slid his thumb over Duo's carotid artery. His pulse jumped until the blood pounded in his ears and down to his groin. Heero raised his other hand, sweeping it over Duo's hip and back until it was tangled in his braid. Heero rocked forward, his body shivering, his breath shuttering out. "This has changed," he said, his voice tight and raspy. " _This_." And Heero tugged his hair until his heady fell back, until his neck was open to grab, but instead of choking him, those big hands wrapped under his jaw and Heero attacked his lips, devoured them until with a sound of defeat Duo let Heero in. Their tongues battled, and even in his disadvantaged state Duo put up a fight, tugging at Heero's shirt until a button snapped and Duo could get his hands underneath it to Heero's bare skin. Heero pushed Duo back against a wall, but Duo lifted his hips up to grind against Heero until he faltered. With one leg Duo forced their erections together, wrapping around Heero's back and reeling him in. Heero gasped in a breath. Duo dove in before he could fully recover.

They hardly made it to the bed, Heero regaining enough control to push Duo back, and his one leg left on the ground buckled, sending them crashing back onto the comforter. In no time it was twisted up under them, keeping Duo from manipulating Heero, tangling him up in the covers. Once one of Duo's legs was caught, Heero managed to pin his other leg, then his hands. They were both breathing hard, each smelling the scents on the other's skin and tongue. Duo gave Heero a sultry smile and leaned up to peck Heero's lips. His heart was pounding, his face flushed. Everything in him was straining and stretching to its breaking point. "You're right," Duo said. Heero was already leaning down, biting on Duo's neck, and Duo groaned and arched everything – his neck, his back. He could feel something in his blood scream. "This is definitely different."

Heero made a sound of agreement before licking down to the top of Duo's shirt. "This will change things."

Duo grinned and pulled at the bottom of his shirt. "Good."


End file.
